Do you know what is in your children's 'non-toxic' paint? I don't because it's not on the label. In the interest of 'blog research' we are road testing some eco and natural kids paints.
I decided to start with finger paint. I am more trusting when the paint is on the end of a brush but when it's on their skin for half the day I'd rather know what's in it and know it's natural. For finger paint I think homemade is the best way to go but I wish I had these wee can too paints when Otis was a baby.
The paint arrives as a powder in these upside-down tubes. Just add water and shake. The colours come alive.
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I sploshed them onto some canvas and let the children enjoy. Because of the nature of finger painting we didn't use smocks but the children wore old clothes. They got covered in paint. As soon as they were finished the kids went in the bath and the clothes in the washing machine. Everything came out - nothing stained.
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The paint is like puree food. It's mushy not slimy. Which may be why my children took to it. It is quite thick so it provides a nice sensory experience. Just like playing with food.
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Caspar (five years) painted his own canvas too.
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Although it's awesome and earthy the colour dulls as it drys. But wow - what great texture.
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It's a bit strange to keep paints in the refrigerator but it's no hassle. The paints have an expiry of six months. Although we used a lot today (and I refilled the bottles with water to stretch it out) we would have no problems using the paint within six months.
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We all loved, loved, loved these paints. But there are a couple of downsides. Mainly the cost. We purchased this set from boodle and bear (the Australian store with the greatest range of eco/natural kids paints). The price is probably what you would expect for a boutique item. Also there are the miles, but considering most of our paints are imported and if you are in the US this is a local product. I would buy this product again and highly recommend it to families, especially those with babies, who don't have time to make their own paints.
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Edited 26 November: Sorry my mistake. The expiry on the paints is one month after adding the water, not six months as I have written in the original post.
