Edible Finger Paint: Version 1

I am going to try out a variety of edible finger paints that I have found online. Abby needs increased sensory exploration to stimulate her other senses and help stop her oral fixation. - in addition to all the other benefits of messy play. Alyssa needs more messy play to increase her tolerance of textures and hopefully help her be a less picky eater. It is funny how different they are.

The first recipe I wanted to try was very simple to make. It cools slowly, so be aware of that in advance. I mixed mine in my Blendtec until it started to thicken, about 5-6 minutes.

Quick thoughts:

• It didn't really feel or run like paint. The texture was more like jelly. The mixture conceals as it cools. I don't think it would work with brushes. But we weren't using brushes and we loved the texture. It was squishy and slimy. The girls loved smearing it around the table. And since it didn't soak into the paper very well we could scrape it up piles of it to smear around again. In the end the table had a coating of the gel that was fun to write on or just slide your hands along.
• I used food coloring but only put in three drops. The color was not pronounced and very transparent. Maybe if I had used more coloring it would have been more colorful, but I didn't feel like it was a big deal. I'll try using more color next time though. - and there will definitely be a next time with this one.
• Even though the ingredients were edible, Abby didn't try to eat it! Not once. She was so excited and thrilled about sliding it around and squeezing it through her fingers. So I would say this was a success.
• Alyssa was more reserved than Abby was, but she still got into it. It took her awhile, but she finally let her left hand join in sliding along the table. She was very particular about which plate was hers and which was Abby's. When they were both empty, she wouldn't let me put her plate up. She is starting to understand possession.
• I am glad we did this outside, but you could clean up a table inside, too.