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Rainbow Glitter Sidewalk Paint Recipe

July 16, 2013 by Anna Ranson

Make some gorgeous rainbow paints for outdoor creativity using this oh-so-easy glitter sidewalk paint recipe! So much fun on long summer days outside and washes off easily with water when finished, so what’s not to love?!Rainbow Glitter Sidewalk Paint Recipe

We are big fans of DIY play and art recipes and have tried out dozens now since Cakie was a baby. It’s so much fun to experiment with making materials with just a few ingredients from the kitchen cupboard and it’s amazing how many different things you can make at home.

One paint recipe that I have been saving up for a summer’s day is the simple, yet wonderful, sidewalk/ pavement paint recipe! I first read about this on Kids’ Activities Blog where they made fizzing sidewalk paint (we are definitely trying that next.) The girls wanted to make glitter paints, so we decided to  experiment with making rainbow glitter sidewalk paints this time around, and they turned out so gorgeous and sparkly!

Sidewalk Paint recipe

How to make glitter sidewalk paint:

Simply use 1 part corn flour (corn starch in the US) to 1 part water to make the base paint mixture!

I filled some muffin tin holes half full of cornflour/ starch and then topped each one up with roughly the same amount of water.

Then we stirred in a small amount of Wilton Gel Colours  (this links to our favourites that we always use in play recipes) in rainbow shades until the colours had blended well and were the right intensity. Start with a  small amount and add more, to be sure of not using too much colouring.

Mixing glitter sidewalk paints

Then simply sprinkle in plenty of glitter in corresponding colours and stir it through! For some colours we didn’t have the matching glitter to use, so we opted for silver which adds a general sparkle and looked great.Rainbow glitter sidewalk paint

Take outside with a pot of water for cleaning the brushes, add some thick and thin real art brushes and paint, paint, paint!

Anything that’s washable is fair game, so it wasn’t long until our paving slabs and legs and feet had all been decorated with the sparkly paints!

Bidy painting with DIY sidewalk paint

Cakie added flower and rainbow murals to brighten up our garden space beautifully.Painting with DIY sidewalk paint

I painted my name and they joined in, practising letters of the alphabet, shapes and patterns. As the paints dried they looked chalky and soft with a lovely pastel colour left behind. The glitter sparkled so nicely in the sun and really made the paints that little bit more special and magical! It was hard to pick up in the photographs just how very pretty the scene looked after they had finished painting.

Baby Bean got stuck right in too, painting the ground and steps and later her legs and feet too! I worried a little that the paint would stain their skin, but after 3 or 4 minutes in the bath they came straight off. The paint on the sidewalk/ paving slabs washed straight off with water, but we decided to leave most of it as their designs are so lovely!

DIY glitter sidewalk paint recipe

What they are learning as they play:

creativity: creating and combing media, painting outside, body and nature art

science: mixing dry and wet materials to make new products, following recipes, experimenting

Cakie: 4.10

Pop: 3.3

Bean: 16 mos

See our homemade edible fingerpaint recipe! Perfect for babies and toddlers who are just starting their creative journey!

And how about scented edible jello paints! They smell and taste delicious!

And a super-easy everyday home-made paint recipe with just 3 ingredients and no cooking!

Related Posts

  • DIY Window Paint Recipe
  • Rock and Roll Painting with Conkers
  • Edible Jello Finger Paints Recipe
  • Mini-Masterpiece Thank You CardsMini-Masterpiece Thank You Cards
  • Painted Fruit Box Flowers Painted Fruit Box Flowers
  • Pointillism Painting with Cotton Buds from The Artful Parent BookPointillism Painting with Cotton Buds from The Artful Parent Book

Filed Under: Activities, Age, Art, Art, Art and Craft, Baby, Create, Creativity, Finger-Painting, Glitter, How To, Learn, Make, Name Writing, Outdoor, Paint, Painting, Play, Play Recipes, Pre-Writing, Preschooler, Recipes, School Age, Toddler Tagged With: Art, Painting, Play Recipes

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Comments

  1. sabline says

    July 17, 2013 at 6:13 pm

    I love this idea! I can not wait to try it with my little guy! Have you ever tried it with other coloring agents?

  2. Jenni Dinsdale says

    July 19, 2013 at 7:08 am

    LOVE this idea! Just wondering though does the food colouring stain the pavement?

  3. Amie @ Triple T Mum says

    July 20, 2013 at 6:12 am

    As soon as the sun shines here again we will be outside splashing a bit of sparkle around the place, thanks to this fun recipe!

  4. Priscilla says

    July 20, 2013 at 1:20 pm

    I am trying to find ideas for tire swings for kids I saw a ladybug tire swing on Pinterest do you have any idea how to make it and what type of paint to use

  5. Making Memories in the Choas says

    July 24, 2013 at 7:33 am

    I LOVE this idea – my kids really enjoy sidewalk paint, so I bet they’d love this too 🙂

  6. Georgia says

    July 24, 2013 at 8:29 am

    Really great idea! Thanks for sharing! Can’t wait to try it with my niece!

  7. Katie says

    July 28, 2013 at 1:51 pm

    I tried this with my kiddos (7 and 3)and they absolutely loved it! Thank you!

  8. Michelle says

    August 15, 2013 at 9:32 am

    This is a great idea. I can’t wait to try it out! Can you use normal food colouring? Does it stain the pavement?

    • christin york says

      September 19, 2013 at 2:44 pm

      I was wondering the same thing, did you try it?

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About The Imagination Tree Hello and welcome! I'm Anna, Mama of 4, early years teacher and play enthusiast from the UK! Click here to read more about me.

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