Super-sized Marble Painting Project for Kids

Marble painting always produces unique abstract works of art. But rolling balls in a cake pan is sometimes not enough to capture the imagination of the boys. As an art teacher I have found changing the size of a project can change how the kids approach the project.

Marble painting regular size
First a little refresher on marble painting; be prepared with a place to dry paintings before beginning this project. I like to set up a make-shift clothesline across the room. It may seem like overkill if you only have a handful of kids working on this project, but trust me, it’s not.
Write children’s names on wooden clothespins before clipping the string so that you can decipher who is who’s when they are dry.

Supplies needed for regular sized marble painting:

• 9 x 12 cake pan
• 81/2 by 11-inch paper
• Painter’s tape
• Marbles
• Paint

1. Place a piece of paper in the cake pan. Place a small piece of tape at each corner to hold it in place.
2. Squirt a line of paint along the edges of the cake pan. Use a different color on two or three sides.
3. Drop five or six marbles in the pan. Show the children how to tilt the pan to roll the marbles through the paint and then across the page.

Now super-size it!

Super sizing marble painting can result in fabulous pieces of wall art. Use the finished project to decorate the walls of your home, school, church or community center. A marble painted canvas by kids could be donated or raffled off or auctioned in order to raise money for the art program!

Supplies needed for a super-sized marble painting – version one

• Large pieces of cardboard
• Canvas (optional)
• Duct tape
• Marbles, balls
• Paint

1. Lay a large sturdy piece of cardboard on the ground. Make a two-inch cut in each corner.
2. Fold up the sides and then overlap the cut corners to make a box.
3. Place another piece of sturdy cardboard or canvas inside and secure with small pieces of folded tape at each corner. This piece of cardboard or canvas can be prepared with a layer of paint first to start the design.
4. Roll the marbles in paint and then drop into the box
5. Have several kids lift and twist the box to move the marbles. Add more painted marbles to introduce more color as desired. Vary the size of the marbles, or add paint covered balls.

Supplies and directions for super-sized marble painting – version two

• Small plastic wading pool
• Large pieces of paper, poster board, or recycled cardboard
• Tape, painter’s tape, masking tape or duct tape
• Paint
• Marbles

1. Tape a piece of paper, poster board, or cardboard in the bottom of the wading pool.
2. Roll marbles in paint and then drop in the pool.
3. Have kids pick up and set down the pool to make the paint covered marbles roll across the page.
4. Keep adding paint, marbles, and balls until the painting is complete. Go ahead and vary the size of the balls. Try whiffle balls, softballs, bouncy balls or any other object that rolls such as cars and trucks. Just run the wheels through the paint and then set in the pool to make cool tire marks across the page.

Whatever method you decide to use, there really is something about the novelty of super-sized projects that brings the art resistant children over.