We tried both of these recipes:

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RECIPE 1

* 2 cups of flour (We only have whole wheat in the house so it was a bit grainy but not bad – could have blended it first I suppose.)
* 2 packets of powdered drink mix (like Kool-Aid – no sugar added kind makes the brightest colours)
* 1/2 cup of salt
* 3 tablespoons of oil – any kind
* 3 cups of boiling water
* Cornstarch to thicken if necessary

1. Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl (drink mix, flour and salt).
2. Stir in the oil.
(Adults take over from here…)
3. Slowly mix in the boiling water and allow the mixture to cool.
4. If it’s too runny for your taste, just add a little cornstarch.

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RECIPE 2

* 1 cup of cornstarch
* 1/2 cup of water
* 1/3 cup of grated soap (choose your favorite plain organic bar soap)

1. Melt grated soap flakes into a half cup of boiling water.
2. Add cornstarch.
3. Blend well and put aside. Allow mixture to thicken.
4. Divide into small containers and add coloring.

Natural colorings can be derived from the juice of frozen berries, beet juice, tea, onion skins (boiled) or other natural sources. You can store these in the refrigerator for about a week. You could also use the kool aid in this recipe. We used kool aid and some berry juice and they both worked fine. Did you know that the blue kool aid package is actually red inside?

We enjoyed things about both recipes. The second one is easier but I liked the consistency of the first one better. Warning: If you don’t want to waste your organic soap, do not, and I repeat DO NOT use your husband’s Olay bar. It’s smells okay on the body but God awful strong whem mixed with kool aid in fingerpaint. But…it does make it easy to clean off!

We put the easel out on the covered deck in the shade and just hosed off both the easel and the kid when we were done. The kool aid coloured his hands horribly and I was a little worried but it was completely off after his bath with no extra scrubbing.

What do you do for fun in the sun with your kids?