Summer has FINALLY made an appearance in our neck of the woods and we are attempting to not waste a single second! Thankfully our kiddos LOVE to be outside, but managing the chaos while still keeping them entertained can be a challenge. So I decided to try a super easy, fun Homemade Pavement Paint and it was a huge hit! What took me about 2 minutes to make turned into an activity where there was no fighting... gasp big shocker I know and they are begging to do it again!
To make just mix equal parts cornstarch and water. I mixed it right in a pyrex measuring cup for easy pouring and less dishes to wash.. lazy yes! But in my advance state of delusion I like to think of it as efficiency :)
I used one cup cornstarch and one cup warm tap water. The warm water seemed to help mix the cornstarch a little better, but any temperature will work.
Now because we are in that "I want it only if she has it" stage, instead of sharing a "palette" I decide to avoid at least one crisis for the day and used two dollar store muffin tins... one for each little Picasso. The one cup cornstarch/one cup water mix was the perfect amount to fill the 2 tins (12 cups) half full, which seemed to be perfect for carrying (I'm known to be a bit messy) and painting.
To make the colors just grab some food coloring and let your inner mad scientist out :)
I used cheap grocery store food coloring and added one drop at a time until I got the colors and combos I liked, but you could go as bright or pale as you like they all looked great on the pavement. I also decided to leave one cup white (no color) and I'm so glad the kids really liked how well it showed up on our dark asphalt. For really bright colors double the amount of drops per color.
For brushes I grabbed this large bag of different sizes from the craft aisle at Walmart for a few dollars. I gave each kiddo a couple different sizes and saved the rest for other projects.
In seconds the whining stopped and my little artists where deep in design mode.
No fighting, just peace.... who knew cornstarch had such calming properties :)
Oh and did I mention they had a blast!
Thumbs WAY up!
Mixing for just the right shade they painted everything in site....
including eachother :)
Who needs a sidewalk or driveway when you have a perfectly good leg....
or belly near by???
Cooperation thanks to cornstarch... this mommy is one happy lady!!!
Mix some up today, grab your cup of coffee and if your house is anything like mine enjoy some rare
moments of peace :)
***Oh and a bonus the cleanup could not have been easier, just hose off the paint tins, brushes, pavement and the kids (hence the swimsuits :). No stains or mess will be left behind just fun memories and little kiddos begging you to do it again!
Enjoy, Lindsey
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