We’re giving potty training another go here at Camp Toddlertown so we’ve been stuck inside the house all week. You add together toilet plus toddler plus mobile baby plus cabin fever and you’re more than certain to get a very frazzled mama! I guess that’s why we’ve been on crafty projects overload over here. Making art with Jack always brings me back from the ledge…well, that and a nice cold beer at the end of the day. Which reminds me…
<opens ice cold Shiner>
As much as I love crafting, I still have to acknowledge the fact that more times than not, I’ll have to do so with a 20 lb baby on my hip. He’s awfully cute in the limiting sort of way. That’s why when we decided to try out the puffy paint recipe from Housing a Forest, I knew I was going to have to adjust the process a bit. So instead of mixing the ingredients in a bowl, I poured everything directly into a plastic bag and then just snipped the end when we were ready. I was able to do the whole thing, from start to finish, while holding Max. Major win.
The recipe is based off of the one from Housing a Forest with the addition of a water measurement. I highly suggest you check out her blog if you’re into making art with your kids. Such a wonderful resource!
Homemade Puff Paint
Materials:
- 1/2 flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp salt
- scant 1/2 c water
- food coloring
- cardboard
Instructions:
1. Pour dry ingredients into separate baggies and mix thoroughly.
2. Add water and allow your crazy 2 year old 3 year old (!!) to squish it until mixed thoroughly. Add more water/flour until it’s the consistency of paste.
3. Drop approximately 5 drops of color into each bag. More if you want the colors to be more vibrant, less if you want a more pastel look.
4. Use the same Crazy Toddler Method to mix the colors into the paste thoroughly.
5. Once the color is mixed in, squeeze all the paint toward one corner and snip 1/4 inch off the end (like a pastry bag). Allow Crazy Toddler to go to town on a piece of cardboard or chip board.
6. Pop in the microwave for a minute or two (depending on the thickness of paint) and you’re done. That is unless you can resist the temptation to make your own art!
triedandtrueblog
I love the baggie idea and no extra bowls to clean up! Your site is great, so many creative ideas. Thanks for sharing.
No, thank YOU! :)
What a fantastic project! A great continuation of icing Christmas cookies, which my kids (even the teenagers) cannot get enough of.
Stopping by from Link n’ Learn! We’ve done this project before… it’s fun! And smart move to put the paint in baggies!
Thanks for this recipe! I almost cried laughing when reading your intro to the project because that is exactly why I was looking for this recipe. It’s day 2 of potty training and I already feel like I am losing hair. I desperately needed ideas for fun things to do inside, so thank you!!
Oh, I’m so glad! Best of luck with the potty training!
Love this idea!!! Going to try it with my home daycare kids tomorrow :)
Hope it goes well!
Great idea! Thanks for sharing. I don’t have a microwave. Do you think this will work if I put it in a hot oven for a little while?
I just tried your recipe with my kids. I posted the pictures at http://www.simplelittlehome.com/2012/06/homemade-puff-paint.html. It was a riot- I’m so grateful that your recipe included only edible ingredients because the baby was really into exploring the paint by any means necessary! Thanks for the great idea!
I didn’t even think about the fact that the paint is edible. Silly me. Looks like you guys had a blast!
How long can this paint be stored and how?
Thanks
You might be able to store this in the fridge for a day or so but you probably want to just make it as needed.
Thanks, newbie to this site… impressed so far :)
I don’t have kids, and I’m not even close to ready, but I am still doing this. I like to act like a little kid sometimes and it drives my boyfriend crazy. Oh well, I’m having all the fun and he can go be stuffy doing grown up stuff.
Thank You!
I just want to ask You: Are picutres permanent? Can I put them on my wall? :)
Hmm, I’m not too sure. Since it has flour in the recipe, I’m going to go with “no,” since it’ll probably spoil.