Finger Painting: Pumpkin Edition

I bought a bag of tiny pumpkins for $2 at WalMart this weekend. I thought they would be perfect for the trio to finger paint. This was their first painting experience. When Jackson was younger we made our own finger paints using various recipes (cooking flour and sugar, adding dyes to condensed milk, etc). I an normally a fan of DIY things, but I couldn't find a recipe that I thought would adhere to the pumpkin and not the babies. 

I bought a poster paint set at A.C. Moore for $2 (using the weekly 50% off coupon). The paint is non-toxic, washable, tempera paint. I spooned a few dollops of paint onto small plates. I placed the pumpkins, paint, and large paintbrushes on the shady deck and let the (naked) babies explore freely.

They were unsure at first. They mostly rolled and threw the pumpkins around. 

I dipped a paintbrush in the paint to show them what to do. James immediately grabbed the paintbrush and put it in his mouth. I firmly said "No!" and grabbed his hand. He ended up painting his chin. He repeatedly attempted to eat the paint and I repeatedly stopped him. Eventually, he stopped trying to eat it and painted his pumpkin, body, and sister instead. 

Amelia was very focused on painting. She never really smiled or laughed, but I assume she enjoyed herself. She was certainly captivated.  

Maddie was appalled when she unintentionally got paint on her leg and could not get it off. She quickly left the scene, then played in the water table while James painted Amelia.

I wasn't able to make many pictures since I also ended up with paint on my hands. Taking pictures of the trio painting pumpkins was very similar to cake smash pictures-messy, but fun!

The clean up was incredibly easy since we were outside and the triplets were naked. I had filled the water table with warm, soapy water ahead of time. James and Amelia were captivated for about 15 minutes. Once they began to play on the slide and swing, I utilized the water table and scrubbed all three down with a washcloth. 

We barely used any of the paint so we definitely got our money's worth. Another favorite fall tradition is crossed off the list.