DIY Finger Paint & Crayons

We had fun making these easy projects.  The fingerpaint is best used up the day you make it; a few days after we used some of the paint, mold started growing in the sealed jars!!  Oops.  So we had to toss it after that, but it should be good for a little bit before that happens.  I like the fingerpaint becuase it doesn't have the yucky store-bought fingerpaint smell.  And, if little kids accidentally eat some, it's ok!

The crayons were fun- I took all the broken crayons out of the crayon box and the kids took the wrappers off; then they all helped me fill my mini muffin tin with similar colors.  You have to use a little cooking spray so these can come out easily, and it doesn't make the resulting crayons greasy at all.  Only use good-quality crayons (like Crayola) or they don't really turn out very well. 

DIY Crayons
adapted from Suenos Encantados

old broken Crayola crayons :)

1.  Pre-heat the oven to 250 degrees.  Place pieces of different colors of crayons in a mini cupcake mold (don´t forget to spray the mold with vegetable oil).  Place the mold in the oven and let it melt for about 10 minutes; they melt very fast, so watch them.

2.  Remove from the oven and let them cool completely before giving them to the kids

DIY Fingerpaint
adapted from here

3 Tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup corn starch
2 cups water

1.  Combine ingredients in saucepan over medium heat until mixture thickens, constantly stirring.  Pour into individual jars (clean baby food jars work well).  Use food coloring to create desired colors; let cool. 

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