Social Distancing is not a new phase in Shloka and my life. We have predominantly been isolated over the past few months since she was born. I was very clear that the first 2 months the baby must wait it out, get her shots and then step out. In the 3rd month, we did travel for a few family weddings and the celebrations for them but apart from that it’s just been a weekly playdate and that’s it.
With the rise in numbers for Corona Virus victims, we have become even more careful. Shloka and I have been homebound for the past 10 odd days with minimal guests and visitors. This means a lot of time on our hands, a bored infant who has just started sitting unsupported and is exploring how she can crawl. It also means an exhausted mother, out of her wits – as if social isolation and distancing alone are not hard enough. Add an infant into that mix and you really need activities planned out.
Art is an activity I understand. It is therapeutic for me and I really want Shloka to grow up loving it as well. After looking around for baby-friendly and NON MESSY paints in the market, a friend of mine recommended that we try to make our own paints. After some trial and error we have found a recipe that worked for us.
The reason it worked for us –
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The paints are like jelly – hence no chance of spilling them.
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They are kid-friendly and non-toxic. In fact they are made purely out of food-grade materials so you’re not worried about the off chance the baby will stick her finger in her mouth – because she will for sure…
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They are cheap to make.
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They are quick to make.
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You have all the ingredients you need at home, in your kitchen.
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They’re easy to store and reuse.
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They come off easily from hands, legs, clothes and furniture.
Home Made Finger Paint For Kids
Here’s how I made the paints for Shloka :
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3 tbsp of sugar
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1/2 tsp of salt
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1/2 cup corn starch
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2 cups of water
Combine the above in a small saucepan. Warm till the mixture thickens. Cool and pour into containers. Add food coloring for each container to create the desired colors.
Mess Free – They don’t spill !
We then let it sit for a few minutes post mixing the colors – more like letting jelly set and that’s it! Nothing more to be done. Your paints for finger painting are ready!
This is interesting. Will surely try. Thanks.
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