I saw this watercolor pencil idea on a blog a couple of weeks ago and thought it would be a great activity for our upcoming LONG airplane ride. Today I was able to test it out and it was SO much fun (for me :). Hopefully it will entertain Lucy as well.
What you need:
watercolor pencils
watercolor paper (I bought a cheaper kids version. Watercolor paper holds the moisture better)
fine tip permanent marker (unless you use a printer ink that won't bleed. Alas, we do not have a laser printer so I improvised).
First, I cut my paper to printer page size. You could just draw your pictures directly onto the watercolor paper if you prefer. I didn't trust my freehand artistic skills, so I went for lightening the images to a light gray (to minimize the ink running when water is applied) and then printing them directly onto the watercolor paper. Next, trace with a sharpie and then outline with the watercolor pencils. Last, using water and a paintbrush, apply water and Ta Da! You have fun art project.
For our trip, I'm going to have everything done except the water part. I'll pack a paintbrush in our carry-on and make sure I fill a water bottle before we board the plane.