As body art moves more and more into mainstream culture, it catches the eye of children. Letting little kids play with the idea of body art is often a really good idea, as it let's them use their imaginations and creativity, AND by not making a big negative out of it, you are less likely to have a rebellious teen who sneaks out and gets something permanent just to spite you. It's a great activity for birthday or slumber parties, is a lot of fun on summer afternoons and works for those costume/masquerade events as well.

Homemade Face and Body Paint

Here's a recipe for homemade body paint that is nontoxic, make from a lot of things you probably have in your kitchen already. It won't taste good, but no one will get sick or poisoned from eating it. It can stain some fabrics so be careful of clothing and carpets.

3 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 Tbsp. flour
3/4 C. light corn syrup
1/4 C. water
1/2 tsp. food coloring
some small paper cups

1. Mix your cornstarch and flour in a small bowl.
   
2. Add corn syrup a little at a time while stirring.
   
3. Add water slowly, also while continuously stirring.

Once this mixture is smooth, divide it up so that you have some in different paper cups. Leave one batch un-tinted, as this will be your white color. To each of the others, add food coloring and mix. Go drop by drop, as a little can go a long way sometimes. Most boxes of food coloring have little charts on the back that give drop combinations for making different colors. Remember, the more drops of coloring, the darker the paint will be.

To apply, you can use fingers or small paint brushes. The brushes definitely work better for faces. To clean up, just wash with soap and water.

For a party, you can multiply the recipe to make a bigger batch of starter base. Then using tiny cupcake trays, give each child a set of face paint and let them have at it! You can pair them up and have them paint each other, or skillful adults can do the painting. In the summer, have a group of kids sit in a circle and have them paint each others backs. Be sure to have a large mirror on hand so everyone can check out their fantastic new body art when it's finished.