Try Kool-Aid Spray Painting This Summer

I love spending summers with my kids, I really do.

I love that we’re no longer governed by a school schedule. We get a break from getting everyone out the door early each morning. We get a break from the frantic hustle and bustle of getting everyone to sports and music and drama and all the other after-school activities. I get to spend time with the kids and go hiking or swimming or to the library. We have time to be creative at home.

But sometimes I need to keep them occupied without working too hard. I’d like them to not be on screens. I’d really like them to be creative or get outside. But I’m tired, or I need to write something, or I have to start dinner and I need something for them to do that doesn’t require too much effort on my part.

I like to keep an eye out for supplies every time I’m out shopping. I grab a few art supplies on clearance, or I nab some things each time I’m at Target. I may not use them that day. I may not even use them that week. But I know that if I have them on-hand at home, I can whip them out for the kids to use when I need.

So this week, we tried Kool Aid spray painting. I wasn’t sure if this might be one of those five-minute crafts that they tried for a bit and then lost interest in. It was not. They took to the Kool Aid painting with gusto, and I had to rip off several large pieces of butcher paper for them to unleash their creativity on. I loved that because the paint was Kool Aid – it was non-toxic (fair warning: it does stain clothing, though). We all loved that it smelled wonderfully fruity. Also, even though my point was just to keep the kids occupied for a bit, we realized that the Kool Aid painting projects turned out quite lovely. They would make great homemade wrapping paper, or you could cut them down for special handmade cards.

One final note: I suppose Kool Aid painting is a misnomer. I actually used “liquid water enhancer,” which is the generic equivalent of liquid Kool Aid. Whichever one you find at the store works…and if you find one on sale, that’s the best one to use!

Supplies:

  • Liquid Kool Aid (or liquid water enhancer) in various flavors/colors. We used orange, fruit punch, and grape
  • Water
  • Spray bottles (we found ours in the travel section at Target)
  • Butcher paper, or other large pieces of paper
  • Old clothes to paint in

Instructions:

Add the liquid water enhancer to your spray bottle. Add one cup of water and shake well. Spread a large sheet of butcher paper somewhere you don’t mind getting paint (we used our grass in the backyard). Spray various colors on the paper to make patterns and designs. The Target spray bottles allowed for different kinds of spraying – a small stream, or a wider spray. We tried different settings and waved arms around in arcs or zigzags to see what might happen with the paint patterns.

When you’re finished, spread the paper out to dry, then fold it carefully, and store to use for wrapping special presents. Or cut into rectangles and fold for cards featuring your own personal art.

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