GINGERBREAD PUFFY PAINT TO MAKE

In the lead up to Christmas, I took an old favourite and added some Christmas cheer to it. At home I normally make gingerbread houses or people with my own children but that's just not feasible with nearly 60 children over two sessions at preschool so I used the spices typically used in gingerbread to make some puffy paint with instead.  

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The recipe is very simple as is the process.

To make the 'paint' you will need equal amounts of salt and self-raising flour (or plain flour plus baking powder as you want it to rise when cooked). For such a large group I used a cup of each but we still ran out. Add a heaped tablespoon of each - ground ginger, mixed spice, cinnamon and all spice to the dry ingredients then add enough water to form a thick paste. Start with a cup of water then gradually add more to make it smooth but not too runny. You don't have to use all of these spices but I already had them in my cupboard and they were starting to date. I also made a smaller batch of just plain paint to use as icing.

The children then used small spoons to make their own gingerbread. Use thick cardboard underneath as they can become quite heavy. Some children decided to draw their design first then overlay it with paint whilst some just dabbed small amounts from their spoon onto the card. I always find it interesting observing the different approaches taken by different children to an invitation such as this.

Once they were happy with their creation one of the staff then used a microwave to cook their gingerbread. The children very much enjoyed watching their gingerbread paint puff up as it cooked. Most gingerbread only needed 20-30 seconds in the microwave to cook through. You do need to be vigilant whilst cooking the gingerbread in case they overheat and catch. They smelt divine as they cooked and the children loved it!

We've made puffy paint a few times at home in the past but usually with colours added rather than spices. Just a tablespoon of salt and SR flour plus some food colouring and water in each bowl and you have a quick to prepare activity suitable for mixed ages.

You can see how much fun it is. I was laughing too hard at the cheesy grin to take a clean shot of this one.