Oh, Brother!

Face painting is a fun alternative to wearing a mask on Halloween night. In addition to using face paint to complete your Halloween costume, you can use this simple homemade recipe for birthday parties, staging a backyard play, or for dress-up on a rainy day.  Plus, the process of making homemade face paint will give you the experience of combining and experimenting with colors. Keep reading and you’ll see what I mean!
 
Here’s the stuff you’ll need:
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• ½ teaspoon water
• ½ teaspoon cold cream
• Liquid food coloring in a variety of colors
• Small paintbrush and cotton swabs
• Clean and dry recycled yogurt container for each color of paint
 
Here’s the fun:
1. Stir together the cornstarch and cold cream with a spoon in the recycled container until well-blended. Add water and stir. Add food coloring, one drop at a time, until you get the desired color.
2. Experiment with the colors by adding more drops of the same color for a darker paint or by adding a different color to create a new shade. Three drops of blue and one drop of green food color will create turquoise. Two drops of blue and one drop of red will make violet.
3. Paint designs on faces with a small paintbrush or a cotton swab. Remove the face paint with soap and water when you are ready to take it off. The face paint may be stored in covered, clean containers for several days.
 
CRAFT TALK:
Do you remember your first Halloween costume? What was your favorite one? How do you want to dress up this year? If you are having trouble deciding, how about dressing up like a character from one of your favorite books? What designs can you make on your face with face paint to make your costume look special?