Touch, Taste, Paint

Tasty Pudding Fingerpaint

Add milk to vanilla pudding mix and stir for 5 minutes.  I generally add just a little less than the recipe requires for a thicker paint consistency.  Optional: Divide into bowls and add a different food coloring to each bowl.  


We use this paint on wax paper, saran wrap, computer paper or any other scrap paper laying around.  This activity, like most activities I love, is focused on the process rather than the product. The art does not keep well but you can grab your camera and take pictures throughout the various stages of the child's work.  After we finished we covered the entire surface evenly in the paint and used our fingers to "erase" areas for a "reverse" painting.

Discussion questions:

• How does it look/taste/smell/feel?  
• You might even ask how it sounds if they are having an especially active exploration!  

Variations:

• Use this as body paint outside on a nice day.  Discuss the names of their body parts as they paint them.
• Use a variety of puddings such as butterscotch, chocolate and pistachio.  Allow your child to taste the different puddings and compare.
• Use soymilk instead of cows milk.  The color is slightly altered but the texture is fine.

Extensions:

• Try out other fingerpaint recipes and compare the textures.
• Try using various tools to paint with.  Combs, basting brushes, cookie cutters, etc.

Make some dough and eat it too!

Don't play with your food!

I got this recipe from a classmate in college.


Peanut Butter Play Dough

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup non-fat dry milk

2 teaspoons honey

Mix peanut butter and dry milk, add honey.  Knead and mix until a good dough-like consistency.  Keep in refrigerator.  This dough is edible.

We made "peanut butter cookies" and set the timer for them to "bake" in a cardboard box oven!  Yummy!


After playing with the dough (and tasting it) we put it in a plastic bag in the fridge.  The next day we discovered it dried out a little and was a bit crumbly so we added a little more honey.

I'm tempted to try this out with soy butter as well!

My All-Time Favorite Play Dough

Cooked Play Dough

2 cups flour

1 cup salt

4 teaspoons cream of tartar

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

 2 cups water

Mix all of the ingredients in a large saucepan with a wooden spoon.  Heat and stir the mixture until it rolls into a ball.  ::CAUTION HOT:: Turn out onto the counter and knead until smooth.  (Add food coloring if desired.)

What's next???  Fingerpaint!!!