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Fun Bathtime Idea: Play with Bathtub Paint

5 July 2009 5 Comments

My preschool kids love to paint and I don’t love to clean up the mess. What if you could combine painting with cleaning the bathtub? Wouldn’t that be awesome? This is bathtub paint. You can make it thick and use it as finger paint, or you can dilute it and use it with paintbrushes. This “paint” is washable, does not stain and will help you clean your tub. So sit near the bathroom with a good book and let your kids have a blast! It won’t be quiet, but at least you can have some mommy down time.

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Ingredients:

1 Cup of Dish Detergent
1/2 Cup of Cornstarch
1/2 Cup of boiling water
Food Coloring (liquid kind is best)

I used the antibacterial scented hand soap, but whatever you use, know your kids will coat themselves with it – so be sure to pick something you know they don’t have a reaction to.

Directions:

In a sauce pan, mix the cornstarch into the hot water until it is dissolved and the consistency is pasty. Add the soap and mix until there are no chunks. Heat on medium until just boiling. The soap should have a gel-like consistency as it cools. Add food coloring. Store in an airtight container. The paint may separate slightly when stored, so be sure to stir before use. Test the paint on a patch of your tub to ensure that your food coloring does not stain – and have fun!

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5 Comments »

Bree said:

found you through another site, but I have a question:

you said you used hand soap to make it, did you use that INSTEAD of the detergent?

dish detergent sounds like the powder…and the instructions say that as well. So I guess I’m confused because of your handsoap comment. :/

Thanks for clarifying. (email addy is with my comment)

# 22 September 2009 at 12:19 pm

admin said:

Bree, I used the hand soap in place of the detergent – it smells better. Dish detergent works just as well. My kids tend to break out easily so I wanted something more gentle for them.

# 22 September 2009 at 2:42 pm

Tips for Moms, Activities for kids by Quirky Mommas » 101 Homeade Gift Ideas said:

[...] Bathtub Paint – encourage preschoolers to paint in an easy-to-clean way! [...]

# 2 December 2009 at 1:50 pm

Lisa said:

My kids are going to love this! I think I will use baby soap in stead of regular soap. Thanks!
Lisa´s last blog ..Thankful Thursday

# 4 December 2009 at 11:15 am

Shannon said:

We are definitely going to try this one- we have bathtub markers but they are running out! She loves painting in there though- so this will save the day!
Shannon´s last blog ..Birthday Parties- What do they mean to you

# 26 July 2010 at 8:48 pm