Easy Kids Painting, Valentine’s potato Stamp Cards

Here’s a quick and fun way to bring a little love into your classroom or home —and all you really need is a few potatoes. The spud makes a great, inexpensive stamp and are easy for little hands to grasp and hold. Plus, you can carve almost any shape you want out of a potato, so while I do this art lesson with my students for Valentine’s Day, you can really do it with your kids any time of the year!

Valentines Potato Stamping Supplies

• Potatoes — large Russet potatoes work best; organic potatoes are even better because they have no pesticides sprayed on them
• Knife — a medium size paring knife (you may want to cut the potatoes ahead of time, that way you don’t have to worry about safety)
• Newspaper — a few sheets to lay out and keep the work area clean
• Paint Brushes, Sponges, or Popsicle Sticks — to spread paint on the stamps
• Paints — tempera, acrylic, watercolor, and/or natural veggie dye will work
• Paper or Card Stock — card stock, news print, construction paper, copy paper or any type of stationary cards
• Writing Utensils — Crayons, pencils, etc.; for Valentines, I usually put out warm colors (red, pink, purple, white, teal blue)
• Napkins — napkins or rags to clean off potatoes between use
• Water Jar — for cleaning paint brushes in between color changes