Fun, Fresh, Finger Paints!
By Megan Anderson
While this isn't technically a "food" trick, it's sure fun! I always loved finger painting as a kid, as I am sure that most kids do, and now that my son is almost old enough to start finger painting himself, I suddenly thought about all of the chemicals that are probably in the store bought varieties. Since my little guy is in the "everything goes in the mouth" stage, I have been thinking a lot about what exactly he is putting in his mouth!
While the two recipes for homemade finger paint below aren't exactly edible, at least I know exactly what is going into the paints. Plus, it's cheaper than the store bought varieties, and you can create your own colors as vibrant, pastel, or multi-colored as you want them to be! I recommend storing your paints in glass containers instead of plastic since they might leave a stain on the plastic containers. Glass baby food jars work great! If you want to protect your floors, put a plastic tablecloth down before your little artists begin their masterpieces, or better yet, paint outside-and then the cleanup is even easier since you can run the artists through the sprinklers when they are done! Happy painting!
Homemade Finger Paints
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cornstarch
2 cups water
food coloring
Combine all ingredients except food coloring in a small saucepan and warm until mixture thickens. Cool and pour into containers (glass recommended) and add food coloring to each container until the desired hue is achieved.
DIY Finger Paints
2 tablespoons sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch
2 cups water
1/4 cup liquid dishwasher soap
food coloring
1. Mix the sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan and slowly stir in the water.
2. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes, stirring constantly until the mixture is a clear, smooth gel. Stir in the soap and remove from the heat. When cool enough to handle, scoop it into storage containers (glass recommended) and add food coloring until your desired shades are achieved.
3. Paint and enjoy!
