Guest Author - Alissa Moy
The Easter holiday is getting closer, and the time is here to do the annual egg decorating. Your preschooler may now be aware of the tradition of coloring eggs, and they are most likely excited to participate. Try some non traditional paint materials, instead of or alongside the usual egg coloring kits. Here are three recipes for homemade paints for your eggs:
Watercolor Egg Paints
Ingredients Needed-
1 tablespoon vinegar
2 tablespoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon glycerin
1 tablespoon corn starch
1 teaspoon water
2-3 drops of food coloring (natural or synthetic, mix to preference)
Directions-
In a bowl, mix the baking soda and vinegar. When the baking soda mixture stops foaming, add the cornstarch and glycerin. Lastly, add the food coloring. If the mixture feels too thick you can add some of the water reserve. Store the watercolor paints in a tightly covered jars, like baby food jars. Each recipe makes 1/4th cup of paint, roughly.
Vegetable Paints
Ingredients Needed-
1/4 cup shredded red cabbage
1/4 cup onion skins
1/4 cup spinach leaves
1/4 cup shredded carrots
1/4 cup chopped fresh beets
One dozen hard boiled eggs
Directions-
In 5 different small saucepans, or one to several pans at a time before switching, boil 1/2 cup of water in each pan. Next add your vegetable ingredients and simmer them for 30 minutes. Wait at least 30 minutes until the dye is totally and completely cooled. Place your hard boiled eggs in each dye until you achieve the desired shade or color. Look for a blue hue from the cabbage, brownish- yellow color from the onion skins, green from the spinach, orange from the carrots and pinkish- purple color from the beets.
No-Cook Egg Finger Paints
Ingredients Needed-
6 tablespoons dry laundry starch
1/4 cup cold water
1 quart boiling water
1-2 drops oil of cloves
food coloring as desired
Directions-
Mix 6 tablespoons dry laundry starch with just enough cold water to make a smooth liquid mixture. Pour this mixture slowly into 1 quart of boiling water, and stir this well until it is thick. Add one to two drops of oil of cloves and mix again. Divide the mixture into containers and cool it completely. Add natural food dye or dye of your choice.
For those of you who want to use a prepared kit, that is fun, too! Here are some unique ones:
