How to make edible paint to create colorful Easter egg paintings

Are you looking forward to spring?  I can't believe how fast March is going and how quickly Easter and Spring is coming up!  This week we started talking about Easter and the kiddos are already wanting to know "how many more days till we color eggs"?  So today I thought for our art activity we would paint some colorful Easter egg paintings!  I wanted to do something a little different this time though, I wanted them to be shiny and glossy!  So into the pantry I went.  When I came out I had created an edible paint that was just gorgeous and vibrant yet safe for toddlers and preschoolers who like to sample their paint.

Ingredients to make edible paint:

• Syrup- just straight out of the pantry
• Wilton icing color or food coloring

In my search for ingredients, I found some regular syrup and went digging for food coloring.  We were all out so I used Wilton icing color instead (food coloring would work the same).  So I added just a couple tablespoons of syrup into each cup and a toothpick full of icing color.  The paint worked quite well and it was yummy too!  

So after I mixed the paint, I gave the kiddos each an egg outline.  I then showed them different ways to make lines.  Straight lines, squiggly line, swirls, mountains, etc..  They then choose which lines they wanted to use and drew them onto their egg.  Next I showed them different ways to fill each section.  Circles, squares, triangles, vertical lines, horizontal lines, happy faces, hearts, etc..  The kiddos then filled their eggs with the patterns of their choice.  

I then outlined each of their eggs with a black sharpie.  If you wanted the kids to be more independent they could a black crayon and it would look quite similar.

Next was painting time.  I showed the kiddos how to make "puddles" with the paint as it would dry much shiner that way.  This technique of making puddles is great practice for when they work with watercolors.  Then we let them dry.  It did take quite a while for them to dry completely.

Now when I paint like this with my kindergarten class I would do this in two parts.  First I would do the drawing part with the students as a large or small group, have them outline it with a sharpie or crayon and then during center time I would have them come and paint.  It keeps the mess contained to the art center as opposed to the whole class painting at one time.