Home made watercolor paints

Last summer I read this about how to make your own watercolor paints and how to use those to make paint-with-water coloring pages. 


The ingredients are basic and the method is simple:
Ingredients:
3 Tablespoon Baking Soda
3 Tablespoons Corn Starch
3 Tablespoon White Vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons corn syrup
Food coloring

Method:
Mix everything but the food coloring.   Divide the mixture in separate containers (I used an egg carton).  Add your desired colors to each portion.

 I made red, green, blue, yellow, orange, pink, and purple.  I cut my egg carton in half so Mini Me and Little Lady can each have their own set.  I put a little too much of the mixture in some cups and it started to overflow and run into the next cup. 


If you leave these to dry overnight, they should harden but mine did not.  All of my colors still had liquid sitting on top so I soaked the liquid up with small bits of paper towel.  Underneath was perfectly hardened and vibrant paint!  The kids can paint with them like store-bought watercolors using a brush dipped in water! 


While they are still wet, you can make your own paint-with-water pages. 
I printed various coloring book images onto card stock and made drips and smears of color on the picture.  When they dry, all the kids need to do is use water and a brush to "paint" the pages. 

These pre-made pages are fun but it took me a long time to make them and it really stifles the kids' creativity because I'm choosing the colors; not them. 


Mini Me and Little Lady really loved their watercolor paint sets.  I decorated each carton with their name, too, so they each have their own special one.
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