I know the boys like fingerpainting. But then I start thinking about the sticky fingers, the soiled clothing, the mess, and very quickly my mind starts casting about for alternatives.
That is, until I hit upon a nifty solution. First we made our own fingerpaints using this recipe:
- ½ cup liquid hand soap
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- Food coloring
Combine the soap and cornstarch, divide into batches, then add food colouring. The resulting fingerpaint will be fairly translucent.
Then I got the kids naked and set them to decorate the shower area of the bathroom. They were at it for almost an hour! As predicted it was a mess. But there were no clothes or furniture to stain. And everything washed off beautifully! (Well, the boys had patches of colour on them for a day, but I can live with that….)
Here is Porthos getting into it:
And here are Athos and Porthos showing off their work-in-progress:
5 responses so far ↓
alternative-mom // 21 June, 2007 at 7:27 am |
Wow, Pilgrim Parent, this is a great tip! Thanks for sharing it!
I will try it but first, I still need some colour dye! Again, I might try squid ink if I get my hands on any! 
pilgrimparent // 21 June, 2007 at 10:26 am |
Alternative Mom, sorry I keep coming back to food colouring
It’s just that once you have a few bottles, a whole world of activity opens up….
Oh, The Joys // 22 June, 2007 at 3:19 am |
You SWEAR it comes off easily?!
Mustard Seed Mum // 22 June, 2007 at 4:12 am |
Does the food colouring not stain the skin? I know when i’ve spilt it on my fingers – not a pretty sight..
alternative-mom // 22 June, 2007 at 9:14 pm |
One more question, I think it comes off the tiles easily but what about those white lines in between the tiles? Mine is a rented home and I’m not sure how to deal with it if I get colours in between!