Any way you mix it, paint can be turned into an exciting material with everyday additions, says Kevin Kelman
Try using some of these recipes to provide the children with a range of sensory experiences when using paint in your setting.
Puff paint
What you need
- 1/2 cup of flour
- 1/2 cup of salt
- 1/2 cup of water
- food colouring or poster paint
- squeezy bottles that have been washed out - for example, use squeezy tomato ketchup, mustard or mayonnaise containers
What to do
- Add the food colouring to the water.
- Stir all the ingredients together.
- Pour the mixture into the squeezy bottles.
- Make different colours of puff paint and label the bottles.
- Invite the children to squeeze the mixture on to paper plates or cardboard.
- As an alternative to food colouring, use poster paint.
- When the puff paint dries, it has a raised texture and it sparkles.
Jelly finger paint
What you need
- 1/2 cup of cornflour
- 1 pack of jelly crystals
- 3/4 cup of cold water
- 2 cups of boiling water
What to do
- Mix the cold water with the cornflour to make a paste.
- Slowly add the jelly crystals to the boiling water. Wait until the crystals are completely dissolved.
- Make sure the mixture has cooled before giving it to the children to use.
Textured finger paint
What you need
- 1 cup of flour
- 1/2 cup of salt
- 3/4 cup of water
- food colouring or poster paint
What to do
- Mix the flour and the salt and then add the water.
- Mix until all three ingredients are blended thoroughly.
- Add a few drops of liquid food colouring or poster paint until the desired colour is reached.
- If necessary, you may add extra flour and salt in the following proportions: two teaspoons of flour, followed by one teaspoon of salt until the desired consistency is reached.
Glossy poster paint
What you need
- 1 cup water
- 1/4 cup of flour
- powdered paint
- washing-up liquid
What to do
- Pour the flour into the saucepan and place on a medium heat.
- Slowly add water. Stir until smooth.
- Leave the pan on the heat and stir constantly until the mixture thickens.
- Divide the mixture equally into four yoghurt pots.
- Add three tablespoons of powdered paint, two tablespoons of water and 1/2 teaspoon of washing-up liquid to each.
Invisible paint
What you need
- 4 tablespoons of bicarbonate of soda
- 4 tablespoons of water
What to do
- Mix the water and soda.
- Encourage the children to use cotton buds to paint with the mixture.
- When dry, cover the 'painting' with diluted watercolours to reveal the invisible picture.
Glimmer paint
- Mix 1/2 cup of salt, 1/2 cup of flour, 1/2 cup of water and food colouring to create paint that glimmers when it is dry.
Textured paint
- Mix sea salt with poster paint for a thick, sandy paint, which creates interesting textures as it dries.
Milk paint
- Mix 1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk with a few drops of food colouring until the desired colour is achieved. This edible paint is perfect for decorating rice paper or plain biscuits with a pastry brush.
Scented paint
- Add jelly crystals to poster paint. Add cherry to red paint; lime to green paint; lemon to yellow paint, and so on.
Fun finger paint
- Mix one cup of washing powder and five tablespoons of poster paint. Add 1/4 cup of water until smooth and creamy.
Colourful finger paint
- Mix 1/2 cup of cornflour and four cups of water in a pan and boil until it thickens to a pudding consistency. When cool, pour into smaller containers such as yoghurt pots and add several drops of food colouring and mix.
