How to Make Puffy Paint Spice – A Recipe & Sensory Learning activity.

When I picked Miss T up from her preschool she was excited to show me a masterpiece of Green Puffy Paint that she had created.  One of her Educators seen how wrapped she was with her art and asked her to recall how they make puffy paint.  It was a learning experience that involved the children in the process of labelling, measuring and adding the ingredients, mixing them to make puffy paint, creating art with the paint and then seeing how the microwaved paint puffed up.

Miss T was so proud and gave her painting to her Nana that night before dinner.  The following day she was keen to try it again, so we made Puffy Paint shapes with a shape silhouette with a sensory element and we used an icing tube instead of paint brushes.  The texture of the puffy paint after it is cooked is magical and adds a fun unique element to painting.  Here’s how we make puffy paint shapes the sensory spice way:

Puffy Paint Recipe.

• 2 Table-spoon of Salt.
• 2 Table-spoon of Self-Raising Flour.
• 1 1/2 a Table-spoon of warm water.
• 1 tea spoon of paprika, Saffron, or turmeric.

Have your child mix all ingredients in a small bowl.  Using real ingredients like this is great for teaching kitchen skills.  The spices smell amazing as they are being mixed.  You might have to mix the final product a tad more with some more drops of water as you do until it represents a thick yet smooth paste.  Then squeeze it all into your tube (you can always finger paint or use brushes).  It’s easy enough to paint with it, But we like to be different around here!!!  Using a squeeze method made it come out thick and “puffier” instead of over brushing it too thin.

How to Make Puffy Paint Shape Silhouettes.

Using thick paper, water color paper, cardstock or cardboard, cut out a shape for your silhouette.  This will be used as your template.  As a play based parent, every moment through play and activities is seen as a learning opportunity. Use this time to quiz your child, what shape will I cut out next?  Do you know what shape this is? How many sides does it have? Can you think of another shape I haven’t cut out yet?  The silhouettes can by tacked down on to art paper as your template.  Ready!

Make puffy Paint Art work.

Stick your Shape templates on your art paper. Line your puffy paint spice up and let them squeeze away.  The squeeze method is also great for strengthening those little hand muscles that are required for fine motor and grasping activities.  We used the puffy Paint spice to go inside shape template and outside shapes, this required good hand-eye coordination for Miss T as she had to focus on squeezing the right amount out while maneuvering around her shape templates.  She had to smell and touch the puffy paint, rub some around with her fingers to fill in gaps and have fun with it.

Cook your Puffy Paint Spice.

Now one by one, you need to peel off any templates slowly and microwave the paint to make it puff up and dry.  You’re not actually cooking it but rising the self raising flour which dries and bonds the ingredients.  We did it for 15 seconds.  I recommend doing 10 seconds and then check.  The spices, especially the turmeric had a really cool effect after the microwave and the paint had changed color variation.

Puffy Paint Spice – Sensory Process Learning Benefits.

• Connecting with parent/ carer while spending time in the kitchen.
• Listening to instructions and following from observation.
• Encourages creativity and exploration.
• Developing fine motor skills, strengthening grasp and hand control.
• Taking pride in the work they create.
• Learning Shapes, colours, measurement and ingredients.
• Exploring new texture and smells.
• self-expression and freedom
• Eye and hand coordination
• Cooking skills; mixing, measuring, pouring, spooning mixture & of course cleaning up.

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Connect – Learn – Play – Love – Create – Share.

Renee xx