Making your own paints and play dough provides your children with a chance to see what goes into craft items that are typically bought.

Paint and Playdough Recipes

Edible Instant Potato Dough

Edible dough is so much fun. But parents need to be careful about problematic ingredients, such as honey and peanut butter, found in many edible dough recipes. Instant Potato Dough is a simple solution.

Ingredients

• 1 cup boiling water
• 1 ½ cups instant mashed potatoes
• food coloring (optional)

Directions

1.    Put instant potatoes in a mixing bowl.

2.    Pour boiling water into bowl and stir well.

3.    Add food coloring, if desired.

4.    Pour mixture out onto a clean, smooth surface and knead until it forms a soft, pliable dough.

Add more potatoes or water to get desired consistency.

Just make sure that if you plan on letting your little one eat some of his creations that all of your surfaces and utensils are very clean.
 

Tubby Time Paint

This paint works great on walls, arms, and rubber duckies. Make blue, red, and yellow to ensure a lot of color mixing success.

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup liquid baby soap
• 1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch (cornflour)
• food coloring

Directions

1.    Blend the cornstarch into the liquid baby soap.

2.    Divide the mixture into non-breakable cups or bowls (such as clean yogurt cups).

3.    Add desired amount of food coloring and mix thoroughly.

Homemade Face Paint

Try this as a Halloween mask alternative. Just be sure to test a bit of the cold cream on your child’s skin before he or she wears it for an extended period of time.

Ingredients

• 6 teaspoons cornstarch (cornflour)
• 3 teaspoons cold cream
• 3 teaspoons water
• food coloring

Directions

1.    Mix cornstarch, cold cream, and water in a small bowl.

2.    Add desired amount of food coloring.

3.    Mix thoroughly.

4.    Divide into smaller containers.

5.    Apply with a paintbrush or cotton swab.

Homemade Playdough

This is my all time favorite playdough recipe

Ingredients

• 3 cups boiling water
• 3 cups flour
• 1 1/2 cups salt
• 4  Tablespoons vegetable oil
• 4 Tablespoons cream of tartar
• food coloring optional (I've even colored playdough with a little beet juice)

Directions

Mix all ingredients except for the flour in a large bowl. Once well mixed, add flour. Stir continuously until the dough mix leaves the sides of the bowl. When well blended, remove from bowl and knead on floured board. Careful! The dough will be HOT - especially in the center. Until it cools, this is a job for an adult.  If the dough is too sticky, add more flour (I nearly always do).  At first it will seem undercooked, but as you knead and sprinkle with flour, you will find you have made a nice, soft playdough. Store in an airtight container. I never refrigerate my dough as putting it in the fridge makes it sweat and it goes sticky.

Cornstarch Fingerpaint

Ingredients

• 3 cups water
• Extra water
• 1 cup cornstarch
• food coloring

Directions

1.   In a saucepan, bring the water to a boil.

2.  Dissolve cornstarch in a separate bowl with the extra water (so that it is thick, but able to be poured).

3.   Remove boiling water from heat and add cornstarch mixture. 

4.    Pour mixture out onto a clean, smooth surface and knead until it forms a soft, pliable dough.

5.   Return to heat, stirring constantly.  Boil until the mixture is clear and thick (about 1 minute).  Remove from heat.

6.   As the mixture is cooling, divide into separate bowls and add food coloring.  Children like to help mix in the coloring. It is lovely to   use while still warm.

You can also add 1 tbsp of glycerin to make the mixture shiny.  (Glycerin can be found in most drugstores or pharmacies.)

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