At Oak Learners we love doing art! So much so that we can run through a lot of markers. But, did you know that the markers aren’t really out of colour?! It’s true! You can take them apart, add the cores inside to water and make water colour paint. So, let's use up old markers before tossing them!
The ink cores are naturally white before being infused with the selected colour. That means that all that colour is stuck in that core after it stops coming out of the tip of the marker. You can use pliers (or your teeth. Using your teeth is not recommended for children though.) to take them apart and put the cores in water.
I grouped pink and orange together, yellow with brown, as well as blue and green together but the other colours got their own cups. They made so much watercolour that we never came close to running out and I have saved the cups for more painting adventures.
The colours look dark in the cups but they made beautiful pastel colours and the kids also enjoyed experimenting. They took rocks, their hands, tried splattering the paint, and more to make unique designs. We got a lot of really cool tie-dye looks too.
While the picnic table became very colourful, it washes off and the kids absolutely loved the activity so much that they requested it multiple days in a row.
So, next time you have some old markers that won't write anymore don't throw them out, make paint!
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