Cucina Cooking Projects: Spice Paints
Weekly cooking projects & experiments perfect for the little chef(s) in your life!
Recommended: ages 5-8 with adult supervision
This week… let’s make our own paints and learn about spices along the way!
This is a great opportunity to explore our senses, as we get to create our own unique colors and explore what different spices smell like
Needed materials
Measuring cups & spoons
6-8 small bowls
1 medium bowl
A few metal forks
Whisk
Spices
Washable, liquid white paint OR homemade paint
Cup filled with water
Paint brushes
Paper
Follow these steps:
First, you must choose a paint base for your colorful spice paints…
You can choose to use a washable, liquid white paint or you can make your own paint base:
Homemade paint base:
1 cup water
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup (4 tbsp) cornstarch
Mix all ingredients with a whisk until no lumps remain. Divide into 6 or 8 small bowls.
Now we add our spices:
I like to make only 6-8 different paint colors or else it gets a little out of hand.
First add 1 tsp of a spice and mix, you can then choose to add more spice until you reach your desired color. You can totally mix spices to create cool colors! Be aware though- mixing more than 2 or 3 spices can create a muddy color.
Add a few drops of water as needed.
Spices to choose from
Paprika
Turmeric
Cinnamon
Cardamom
Dried dill
Matcha powder
Curry
Beet powder
Cumin
Ground Pepper
Ground Ginger
And more…
Now… smell each paint:
Which paints smell sweet?
Which paints smell smoky?
Which paints smell spicy?
Which paints smell strong?
Are there any paints that don’t have a strong scent?
Do you have a favorite smelling paint?
Now it’s time to paint!
Paint whatever you’d like! Try a tree or a cat or an abstract painting
