DIY Watercolor Paints

Paint for art projects is another supply that I have put off buying here lest it end up in Andrew's mouth. There are lots of different recipes for all sorts of paints out there. This basic recipe for homemade watercolors can also be found at I Can Teach My Child and lots of other places on the web. I have never tried to make watercolor paints before, but these turned out really well. And just like the glue, I love that these are made with all edible ingredients, just in case. I used a couple of trays that held yogurt cups for a paint tray, but you could use an egg carton, large bottle caps, small cups, or other recycled pieces. Or if you were going to give these as a gift, you could even use a store bought paint tray for really nice presentation.

Homemade Water Color Recipe

• 3 Tbsp baking soda
• 3 Tbsp corn starch
• 1½ tsp corn syrup (Homemade works great!)
• 3 Tbsp white vinegar
• Food coloring

1. Put baking soda, corn starch, and corn syrup in a bowl. Add the vinegar. Kids will have fun watching it bubble and fizz up.
2. Mix well.
3. Separate into try sections small containers.
4. Add food coloring for each color desired. The gel food coloring I used made really vivid colors, but did take a while to mix in.
5. Let the paints dry overnight. (Or use now to make your own paint with water pages and let those dry over night).
6. The next morning the paints will be thicker and in a more solid state, but they will still be wet to the touch.  They are now ready to use!
7. Have fun painting, and then cover and store for next time.

I used this recipe to make 12 small amounts of colors (6 for each of my 2 boys), but you can obviously make less colors and have larger amounts.

Both of my boys had a lot of fun painting dinosaurs with these wonderful watercolors. Their finished pictures look really cool.

DIY School Glue

Homemade School Glue

When I saw the idea for making homemade glue over at I Can Teach My Child, I  knew right away that I wanted to try it out. I have been avoiding buying school supplies in China that could easily end up all over Andrew's hands and then probably ended up in his mouth, just to be on the safe side. Now I that I learned how to make homemade corn syrup, I can make this glue whenever we need it. I did end up adapting the original recipe because at first it turned out too thin, but the second time it turned out great!

Just Like Elmer's School Glue

• ¾ cup water
• 2 Tbsp corn syrup
• 1 tsp white vinegar
• 2 Tbsp corn starch
• ¼ cup cold water 

1. In a medium saucepan heat 3/4 cup water, corn syrup, and vinegar.
2. In a separate bowl or measuring cup mix ¼ cup of water with corn starch until thoroughly dissovled.
3. Pour the cornstarch mixture into the other ingredients, and stir well.
4. Bring mixture to a rolling boil for 1 minute, stirring frequently.
5. Remove from heat and let cool. (The glue will still be kind of thin when it is hot. It will thicken up gradually as it cools.)
6. Pour into recycled glue container or jar, and let sit over night.
7. Use as you would regular school glue. (I didn't have an old glue container to recycle, so I just store the glue in a jar and poured a small amount into a bottle cap for the boys to apply with Q-tips. This method worked well.)

The boys had lots of fun gluing popsicle sticks together to make dinosaurs with this glue. It is a little more clear than regular Elmer's glue, but it holds just as well when dry.