Make your own ice chalk paints

Painting with ice chalk paints is lots of fun!
 
Make the most of the summer weather and have a go at this easy ice chalk paints recipe from our friends at Mud Mates.
 
It’s a great outdoors messy play activity, science experiment and painting material all in one!
 

Make your own ice chalk paints

What you'll need for your ice chalk paints

  
These ingredients are for 4 different coloured ice paints
 

• 1 small bowl for mixing

 

• 2 cups of cornflour (approx)

 

• 2 cups of water (approx)

 

• 4 different food colouring colours

 

• 2 or 3 ice cube trays and/or muffin moulds

 

• Paint brushes, squeezy bottles and bottle sprays (optional)

 

How to make ice chalk paints

1. In a small bowl mix together 1/2 cup of cornflour, 1/2 cup of water and a few drops of one of the food colouring colours.
 
2. Pour the mixture into the ice cube trays
 
3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 for the other 3 food colouring colours.

4. Put the ice cube trays into the freezer and leave them there until the paints are frozen.
 
5. Once the paint cubes are frozen, pop them out of their moulds, slip on your little one’s messy play clothes and head outside to paint!
 

Things to try with your ice chalk paints

 

• Have fun drawing and writing with the ice chalk paints and creating all sorts of patterns on a concrete path.

 

• Try putting some of the ice chalk cubes onto a hot concrete path and watch the colours as the cubes slowly melt away.

  

• For really messy play, get your little one to dip their hands and feet into the melted paints and then make prints all over the concrete.

 

• Or how about filling squirty bottles or spray bottles with water and spraying them all over the chalks, and watching how the water affects the melting process.

 

Tips for your ice chalk paints

 

• The more drops of food colouring you add to the cornflour and water mix (step 1) the more vibrant the colours will be.

 

• You can use everyday ice cube trays or shaped ones for more fun, whatever you have handy. Silicone mini muffin moulds can also be used instead of or as well as the ice cube trays.

 

• Be aware that the food colouring is likely to stain your little ones hands. However it will eventually wash off in a day or two. You could try using liquid watercolour paints or washable paints instead of food colouring to help minimalise the staining. Or try adding a few drops of washing up liquid to the mix to help wash the mixture off a little easier.

 
More kids activities articles to enjoy:

• How to make slime
• How to make magic rainbow milk
• Bubble wrap roller painting

  
Source: This article was written by Mud Mates - Taking care of messy kids with protective over-garments, perfect for dirty, messy play, indoors and out.