Bubbling Cauldron Craft: An Easy Halloween Paint Stamping Project for Kids
If you have a kid who loves anything a little spooky but nothing actually scary, this bubbling cauldron craft is for you. A black paper cauldron, three colors of paint, and a stack of empty toilet paper rolls turn into a witch’s brew that is bubbling right off the page.
Our little secret is a squirt of dish soap in the paint. When you lift the toilet paper roll, a soap bubble often forms right on the paper, wobbles for a second, then pops and leaves a perfect ring behind. The kids lose their minds over it and this activity kept us going for quite some time!
What You Will Need
- Our free cauldron template (a little further down) or a black cauldron shape you cut freehand.
- Black cardstock for the cauldron and white cardstock for the background.
- Washable paint in purple, orange, and green. This Crayola washable paint is the one we have used for every craft on this blog.
- A squirt of Dawn dish soap. Any dish soap works, but Dawn makes the best bubbles.
- Three empty toilet paper rolls, one for each color.
- Paper plates to hold the paint.
- A glue stick and kid-safe scissors.
Grab Our Free Cauldron Template
We created a simple cauldron shape so nobody has to freehand a pot. Page one is an outline to print straight onto black cardstock and cut out. Page two is a solid black cauldron for printing on white paper if you would rather skip the black cardstock. It is free, no email required.
How to Make a Bubbling Cauldron
- Cut out the cauldron. Print the template on black cardstock, cut around the outline, and glue it toward the bottom of a sheet of white cardstock. Leave plenty of empty space above the pot, because that is where the bubbles go.
- Mix the bubble paint. Squeeze a puddle of each color onto its own paper plate, add a small squirt of dish soap, and swirl it together with the end of a toilet paper roll. It should look a little glossy.
- Stamp the first bubbles. Dip the end of a toilet paper roll into the paint, then press it straight down onto the paper just above the cauldron’s rim. Lift it straight up and you have a perfect bubble. Sometimes a real soap bubble sits there for a second before it pops.
- Bubble up and out. Keep stamping, switching rolls for each color. Pack the bubbles close together near the pot and let them spread out and float up as they rise. A few can even drift off the edge of the paper.
- Overlap for magic. Let some bubbles overlap other colors. The dish soap makes the paint go a bit see-through, so the overlaps look like real bubbles stacking up.
- Let it dry. Lay it flat for about 20 minutes.
Why We Love This Craft
There is no fine motor frustration in this one. Stamping with a toilet paper roll is easy enough for a two year old, and the bubbles look good no matter how wobbly they land. Older kids get into arranging colors and making the brew look like it is boiling over. It is spooky in the friendliest way, it uses recycling bin supplies, and it makes a great piece of Halloween decor for the fridge or a window. We also love that it doubles as a little science moment: the kids can watch the soap change how the paint looks and feels.
Tips for the Best Bubbling Cauldron
- Use one toilet paper roll per color so the bubbles stay bright instead of turning brown.
- Do not over-dip. Tap the roll on the plate a couple times before stamping so the ring is thin. Thick paint fills in the circle.
- Press straight down and lift straight up. Sliding the roll smears the ring.
- Keep the dish soap to a small squirt. Too much and the paint gets runny and slides off the paper.
- Add a few tiny bubbles at the very top with the cap of a marker or a bottle lid.
- Want it extra spooky? Once it dries, add googly eyes peeking over the rim or a couple of plastic spiders climbing the side.
Double, double, toil and trouble. Ours is taped to the pantry door and every kid who walks by has to count the bubbles. What colors would go in your witch’s brew?
Looking for more easy Halloween crafts? Try our paper plate spider web craft next, or hang a DIY fabric ghost garland above your cauldron.
