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Where did you display or store your paintings when they were done? We will end up with four+ paintings each week.

Also, did you do the paintings as written, over two days, or all at once? I'll have three boys in CTC next year, one girl tagging along, and three little guys who will want to paint with us. So, setting up and clean up will take awhile. I'm thinking of just doing the whole painting on one day.

Painting with watercolor is a long process simply due to the fact it takes time for it to dry thoroughly. If you tape their paintings down onto a foam board or something equivalent, then it won't be a hassle to bring it out the next day and finish. The background should be done first and the details applied on top. It should be a two step process, but if you need to get it done in one day, so be it.

I don't know if you're familiar with watercolor painting, and I don't want to sound condescending. Please don't take it that way!!

p.s. edited to say I three-hole punched their work, and put it in their binders along with their other papers.

It really does need to be spread over two days to really work best. I got cake boards and taped the papers down to them to work on, then once they were dry we hung them on a string in the hall. About once a month I would three hole punch them and put them in the binder.

Since you'll be doing several (and I'd honestly make the younger ones wait until they are in CTC to do them no matter what they want to do, but I'm mean like that. They can paint, but not do the actual CTC painting) each week you could display them for a week and once the new ones are done you could put the old ones away.

Thanks for the input. That's what I was afraid of. I want to do the painting portion, but the logistics of setting up and cleaning up painting supplies for everyone will drag it out to 30-60 minutes. So, I'll have to think about how to schedule that. I don't expect my little guys to do the CTC paintings, just to practice good painting setup/clean up and form. My daughter won't do CTC in her own (I combine as much as possible), so she's along for the ride, and will do the paintings as instructed in the guide.

I live in a drier climate, and I do the painting in one day....half before lunch, half later. I use plastic place mats for painting projects, then I can move them around as necessary. Taping the paper down keeps the painting from curling as it dries...painters tape is good for this.

Yes, I was going to say if you let them dry, do it earlier in the day and then finish up later. But that probably causes just as many problems logistically for you with that many doing it at once. You'd still need a place for it and need to get out and clean up the supplies twice (probably). Usually the second part uses different colors than the first part which means you'd have to mix more paint anyway.

Hobby Lobby sells these Profolio portfolio notebook type things for about $15 and I bought one for each of my children for their artwork throughout the year. I was struggling with where to put them, they're just a little too big for the notebooks plus they tend to get ripped and ruined just punching them and putting them in the notebook. I got 11X17 sized paper for the watercolor projects and they sell a portfolio that size so she's been able to keep her paintings in that.

My then 11 year old completely set up, painted and cleaned up herself. Occasionally, I set paint up for others. But, mostly, I just told the it was her thing and they'd get to do it when it was their turn.

I know they are probably capable of doing it independently, but having 4 who will want to do it (and only one guide) means I'll definitely need to be close by to supervise. I guess we could spend a few weeks training on proper set up and clean up, and then I could let them go it in the afternoon, during quiet time.

I'm still thinking. Lol.