Halloween Candy Activity ~ Painting with Licorice

Are you looking for engaging activities that will put your kids Halloween candy stash to good use?  Then look no further, this week on Housing A Forest we are all about Candy Activities for Kids.  I am collaborating with some of my favorite bloggers to bring you the Ultimate Halloween Candy Guide.  We have selected a different candy theme for each day, including painting ideas, sensory play, learning activities, art projects and science experiments all revolving around candy.  Our series is all about giving parents alternative ideas for getting kids creating with their Halloween stash and minimizing the sugar rush.  Today I am kicking off our candy series with a simple invitation to create revolving around Painting with Licorice.

Licorice may not be in my kids top 5 favorite candies, however they were all over painting with it.  Not that long ago, we made stamps with Pull ‘n Peel licorice and the kids have been begging to create with licorice ever since.  We chose to use Pull ‘n Peel Licorice for our painting exploration, however I am sure that regular licorice would produce beautiful results as well.

Invitation to create

In the center of the table, I set an open bag of Pull ‘n Peel licorice along with a filled paint pallet.  The only instruction that I gave, was to have fun.  Simple enough.  The kids dove right in exploring process art and creating with out rules.  I loved listening to all the silly giggles as they began pulling out pieces of licorice to play with.

They started by dragging one individual licorice stand through the paint and across their paper.  Slow and methodical.

DIY Paint Brush ~ Candy Art

It was not too long before the kids created their own primitive paint brush.  All they did was held onto multiple licorice pieces, creating a wiggly brush of sorts.  No ties were used, just their fingers.  Simplicity was totally working in their favor on this one.

I love the rainbow of colors and the beautiful lines that are formed from their simple DIY paint brush.

Egg cartons make the best paint trays.  They hold just the right amount of paint, there are 12 wells for different colors and the best part is they are free.  I find the plastic egg cartons work great since they are washable although we use the cardboard egg cartons as well.

They also explored pulling the licorice through a sandwiched piece of paper.  Similar to these adorable pulled sting paintings.  It worked great as long as the the licorice was pulled gently.

Licorice stamps made from rolled up pull n peel ropes were also explored.  They creating a fun snail like pattern, and delightfully messy fingers.

The skinny single stands of licorice and the thick ropes were all a hit.

Beautiful tracks made from using the licorice like a rolling pin.  I totally love the pattern and mixture of colors.

Our simple invitation to create was a total hit.  The kids loved exploring and playing.  I was surprised that my oldest son dove right in as well.  I think that it getting messy with candy is a hit no matter what age you are.  Little and big, this activity got rave reviews from my kids.

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Make sure to click on the links below for more inspiring ideas on how to Paint with Candy:

Nerds Watercolor Trees from Reading Confetti

Glossy Skittles Paint from Mama Papa Bubba

Starburst Finger Paint Recipe from Learn Play Imagine

Tomorrow we will each be exploring creative Candy Sensory Play ideas.

For more fun inspiration follow my Painting without Brushes board on Pinterest.