October 7, 2013

Homemade Paint Recipe {Starburst Paint}

Starburst Paint Recipe - Candy Activities for Kids


How to make homemade finger paint from STARBURST candy - Only two additional ingredients needed for this aromatic paint recipe!

I am so excited to kick off our candy series!  Yesterday I announced that I'm teaming up with several fabulous bloggers to bring you some incredible candy activities for kids.  Each day this week there will be a specific theme.  Today we are painting with candy.  If you are a regular to my site you know how much I love making homemade paint.  For our painting with candy challenge I thought it would fun to try to make a homemade paint recipe using Starburst.  Starburst candy smells incredible, and I knew that the added scent would make this paint a wonderful multisensory activity not to mention a great way to use up some of the Starburst candy your kids collect this Halloween.

How to make Starburst finger paint with Starburst candy and two basic ingredients.  It smells amazing and is the perfect way to use up some Halloween candy!

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Supplies:

How to Make Starburst Paint



Directions:  Separate the candies by color and remove the wrappers.  Unpeeling candy is a great fine motor activity for children, so you could enlist the help of your kids for this step.  Melt one color of Starburst on the stove over medium heat.  When the candies begin to melt add cornstarch and water.


Use a whisk to stir constantly, and be sure to get all of the lumps out.


The paint is done when it thickens.  Remove from heat and allow to cool.


Repeat for all four colors.  If you don't plan to use your finger paint right away, store it in the fridge in an airtight container.


Measurements:  For each color I used about 20 pieces of candy, 2 cups of water, and 1/2 cup of cornstarch.  You can easily make a smaller batch if you have less candy.  We use this recipe whenever we make finger paint.  You can also replace the Starburst with Kool Aid.

Starburst finger paint recipe made from real Starburst candy!

This Starburst finger paint was so cool!  It smelled incredible, and the texture was soft and perfect for smearing on paper or, as pictured, foil.  While it smelled good, it didn't taste great, so Tank and Peanut (26 months) weren't tempted to eat a lot.


The cornstarch neutralizes the stickiness of the candy, so the paint is easy to smear.


The texture depends on how well you whisk the paint while cooking.  I was better at getting all the lumps out in some of our batches than in others.  The lumps only add to the sensory experience.  



The finger paint can be stored in an airtight container for a few days.  If it gets too thick pour it into the blender to make it smooth and creamy again.  *Please note* Our hands were tinged pink for the rest of the day as with most finger paint recipes, but they were clean by the next morning.



J-Bug (4) used the foil covered paint to practice forming letters.


For more homemade paint recipes follow my Recipes for Play board on Pinterest.
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Here is our complete list of homemade paint recipes.


Be sure and check out the other painting with candy posts from the series:

Nerds Watercolor Trees from Reading Confetti

Painting with Licorice from Housing a Forest

Glossy Skittles Paint from Mama.Papa.Bubba.

Come back tomorrow to see our sensory play with candy.

11 comments:

  1. The Starbursts give the paint such beautiful colors.

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  2. This recipe is brilliant! I love the colors, and that's really interesting about the cornstarch counteracting the candy's stickiness. We'll have to give it a try!

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  3. This is SO cool, Allison! And I adore the fact that you painted on foil - it adds a whole other element to the activity.

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  4. What a great idea and I love the bright colors!

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  5. Other then the little time it stains your fingers what about if it get on the rug or table etc?...

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    1. We did this outside, so staining wasn't an issue at all. The towels I used to wipe their hands clean (before getting to a sink to wash with soap) came clean in the wash. I would be careful near carpet, but I imagine with some work it would come out of carpet, too. You can use newspaper or shower curtain to cover the table to avoid stains. Hope that helps. :)

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  6. This is perfect as we have a whole bag of leftover Starburst from Halloween!

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  7. You are amazing Allison! I seriously love your blog and the creativeness that you have with your boys. It helps other hands on mom's like myself So much when we need a stimulating but fun activity. Will definitely be trying this if I can get h & k not to eat all the candy during the peeling process lol.

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  8. Does the paint mold if used on paper or a canvas?

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  9. I'm a new "Gram" - I'd like to create a card from the grandboy for his mommy's 30th birthday. (He's 5 months - so it'll be mostly me - LOL) How long does it take for the the finger paint to dry?

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