I wanted to make some washable fingerpaint for the boys today but when I looked up recipes online, most of them required ingredients didn't have at the house (and I did not want to go to the store)... so I made my own, with an easy 3 part recipe!
Since I was going to have them paint the walls in the bathroom, I started with baby shampoo (I had Baby Magic, which was a very light yellow color) and body wash (just some extra half-used bottles of different kinds I had laying around, one was a light pink, one was a greenish color and one was a pearly peach color). I added food coloring (between 5-10 drops, depending on the color I was doing.) Really, this was all that was needed, but the paint was a clear gel consistancy and was really light on the walls. So I added about a teaspoon of flour to each of the colors. It made it a perfect "paint" consistency and the colors showed up really vivid.
The boys had a blast playing with it (I had them in the tub painting the walls, themselves and the bathtub) and when it was time to clean up I just filled the tub a little bit, put some old socks over the boys hands and told them to wipe off the walls, which they thought was a fun new game too. The paint came off super easy and didn't stain anything at all, even the grout, which I was a little worried about since I used a ton of food coloring.
In case you want them, below are some other basic recipes that I found, but didn't have all the right things to make.
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Ingredients2 Tablespoons Sugar1/3 cup cornstarch2 cups water1/4 cup dish soap (colored dishwash soap will affect the colors- use it to your advantage or use clear!)food coloring as desiredsmall containers (baby food jars with lids are perfect)DirectionsPut the sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan and slowly stir in cold water. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes, stirring constantly until mixture is a smooth gel.Allow to cool, then add dishwash soap. Divide into small containers and stir in food coloring drops until you achieve desired colors.
Activity: Homemade Washable Paint MaterialsLiquid Tempera PaintIvory Snow or Dreft Liquid DetergentProcedure1. mix 3/4 cups of paint to 1/4 cup liquid detergent2. stir wellThis mixture works just as good as the commercial washable paint and is more economical. It also helps you strrrreeeettttccccchhh out your liquid tempera.
Also, for an edible fingerpaint.Yogurt + food coloring. Tastes good and dries shiny.
