Edible Finger Paints

     Who out there hasn’t dared to try their art supplies? I mean they are so bright and beautiful and often carry the pungent aroma of chemicals, why wouldn’t you want to  taste them? My own toddler prefers to gobble them down, not just taste them and this is why I prefer to make her art supplies instead of  buying them (you know when I’m not being to lazy, and the dollar store doesn’t call out my name!). Below are a few recipes for finger paints that can be eaten, though some of it might not taste all that great.

Kool-Aid Finger Paints

2 cups flour 

2 packs unsweetened Kool-Aid

1/2 cup salt
3 cups boiling water
3T. oil

Just mix the wet materials into the dry materials, and presto, you have edible finger paints for your little one. (Note: Pleas please be careful with the amount of food coloring you use. just use enough to give it color, otherwise your kid will turn blue!)

Simple Food Based Finger Paint

½ cup of cornstarch

¼ cup of sugar

2 cups cold water

Food coloring

Mix the cornstarch and sugar together, then slowly stir in the water and mix well. Put the mixture in a sauce pan on the stove over medium heat and heat for about 5 minutes or until the mixture develops a gel-like texture. Separate the mixture into several smaller containers (Ice cube trays work great) and add a few drops of food coloring to each container. I won’t list it here, but you can make several different colors with standard food dye if you look up a color chart online. My husband and I often have contest with his acrylic paints to see who can make true purple. It’s really not as easy as it looks!(Note: Pleas please be careful with the amount of food coloring you use. just use enough to give it color, otherwise your kid will turn blue!)

Alternatives to Food Coloring

For those of you out there who don’t wont to use food coloring, fear not! There are several different food items that can help you achieve the proper color.

• Red - cherry juice, raspberry juice, cranberry juice
• Blue - blueberry juice- this is really more purple than blue.
• Yellow - dried turmeric
• Health food stores may carry vegetable based food coloring.