Rainbows & Racecars — with Homemade Edible Paint {guest post}

I am delighted to have Amy from Wildflower Ramblings guest posting here to share a super fun and colorful activity! I just love her blog…you will find so many great learning through play ideas, which I love! Thank you, Amy, for this wonderful idea! 🙂

Rainbows & Racecars {with homemade edible paint!}

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In our Tot School, we try to have at least one fun sensory activity per letter. For letter R, we have focused on rainbows. I knew making homemade, edible paint would be a perfect opportunity to have sensory, messy play for both my 3 year old and my 1 year old!

We made all six colors of the rainbow on a large roll of paper — bought from Ikea — and drove colored Matchbox cars on the different stripes. He was excited that we made “a huge rainbow!”

I love making homemade, edible paint — it is cheapest and safest for babies and preschoolers alike! There are many easy options using every day kitchen products.

Basically, all you need are a color, water, and a thickener. I don’t have exact measuremaents since I just approximate every time….

1. For coloring, you can buy every day food coloring from the grocery store. We have primary and neon colors. If you are looking for a more natural option, India Tree Natural Decorating Colors use vegetable juices for coloring. You could also get creative and use Kool-aid packets or other various spices for different seasons!
2. Mix the coloring with a small amount of water. Using a 6-part muffin tin is the best option for little ones, I think 🙂
3. We used corn starch as our thickener. Often called “oobleck,” cornstarch and water make a wonderful substance that feels both solid and liquid! This makes a super-fun sensory experience — though it’s not a fantastic “paint.” Rice flour or all-purpose gluten-free baking mix also work and make a more consistent “paint” — we use these alternatives because my son is allergic to gluten and can’t touch wheat flour. But regular flour really makes the best paint, so if there are no allergies in your house, that is the best option!

My daughter loved feeling it and tasting it! She loved bright blue the best!

My son mixed the colors for almost an hour. I think he felt like a scientist as he experimented with each color.

It is always nice to see them playing together. Her brother didn’t mind her being involved because she was mostly interested in the cars and eating it, while he was busy mixing. He did help a bit with the rainbow.

We also discovered that mixing all of the colors makes a brownish-gray. While I felt that my son “ruined” my beautiful colorful rainbow paint, he was happy to watch the colors mix. He didn’t mind at all that the colors weren’t as lovely by the end of his exploration time — he was too busy mixing and painting his arms! Wonderful and safe play for children of all ages!