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By Spramani Elaun

Veggies can make natural safe paint for kids

Many parents have asked my advice on what is the safest paint for their toddlers to use.

My top best advice is to make homemade veggie paint made straight from the vegetable garden.

During your babies transition into the toddler years, they will be exploring everything by tasting or putting it into their mouths.

Veggie paint is safe and the perfect solution for this period. Even though there are many safe non-toxic paints on the market, they are still not meant for toddlers to eat.

If your toddler is still in this phase, you can make your own veggie paint easily. Veggie homemade paint is great for first time painters.

Making veggie paint is super easy!

Book Excerpts:

What Natural Paints Means

Natural veggie paints are generally made with ingredients like fruits, vegetables, flowers, seeds or leaves. Usually this means natural pigments were extracted from these types of vegetable plants. Note: natural resources can also be processed and combined with synthetic or food preservatives for longer shelf life when you buy natural veggie paints. As of today I have not identified any natural U.S. seals that regulate natural art products. It is left to the manufacturer to inform you of the ingredients list. Beware that natural art supplies in some concentrates can cause irritation or allergies to people with sensitivities. Natural organic pigments have been used for thousands of years, even in the first cave paintings discovered!

How to make Kale or Beet Paint

This is similar to making vegetable juice drinks – you can use the same kitchen equipment. In fact, if you have a juicing machine you should try using that first.

1. Blend your choice of dark veggies with water. Use three parts water to one part vegetables. Kale, beets and carrots work well because the pigments are strong and stain well.

2. Strain veggie juice to remove the thick lumpy parts or any flesh, so you have only liquid juice remains.

3. As an option – thicken juice with cornstarch if you desire a thicker texture, or just leave as a watery watercolor ink.

4. You can store veggie paint in the refrigerator up to a couple of weeks.

Silly Faces With Veggie Paint

Make faces by cutting out round shapes from thick watercolor paper.

Trace round shapes using a cup or plate.

You can do this project in different steps depending on the child’s ability level.

Younger kids can paint, and you can help by gluing on the facial features.

Older kids can do all steps independently.

Very young toddlers can just do the painting part only on prepared silly face you made ahead of time.

1. Trace and cut circle face

2. Have kids paint circle

3. Let dry

4. Embellish with upcycled scraps like buttons, yarn or wool.

How to introduce paint to children for the first time, Click here!

How to pick quality paints for your child’s art projects, Click here!

Artist smock tips for messy painting with kids, Click here!

Buy quality acrylic canvas paint, Click here!

Infant and Toddler Finger Paint, Click here!

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