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Color Run Powder Help?


raelilphil

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Hey guys!

 

So I know it's weird to post on here for something like this, but here goes.

 

I'm a teacher (and 9 year Neopets user, 4 year TDN user), and we were going to put on a Color Run for the kids for the end of the year.  My principal approved it and we started making powder, including getting donations from parents.

 

Well, the principal changed her mind for some reason (district policy update, change of heart, parent complaint, something like these).  Now we can't do the color run.  

 

Any ideas what to do with the 50 pounds of color powder we made?  It was bought with school funds and donated by parents...  The ideas would preferably be something we can do with the kids.

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Not sure what the color powder is like, but could you use it like paint? And maybe let the kids paint a huge mural or trace their bodies and color them in with the paint? Or paint their hands and make hand prints on a mural? If it is near the end of the school year, could you possibly have a sports day? Maybe have a balloon toss as one of the events and fill the balloons with the paint? Not sure what other events you could have, but maybe with a little creativity you can include the paint, so you are kind of having the "color run" intent, but just doing it in a different way. That is a tough one...

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You could do an art project where you cut out paper t-shirts and use glue and they can make their own tie dyed shirts and then they could write about their plans for summer vacation. I'm a professional artist irl, and usually the non-toxic color run powder is made from tempura paint and cornstarch. Idk what all is in your color powder though. They could also make little color jars to take home (you could make it like a beach theme of sorts). You could also take round paper/Styrofoam plates and create mandalas with tacky glue (it sticks better) and the powder if you are trying to teach them about other cultures.

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It is made from cornstarch and food coloring.

 

The issue is that it apparently cannot come into direct contact with the students' skin.  My personality immediately has the comeback of the fact that we serve those fluorescent red hot dogs in the cafeteria at least twice a month that contain the same ingredients, but we must be professional about this.  There is a good chance that she just doesn't want us to throw stuff at the kids and is trying to find a fancy way to cancel it without admitting she regretted saying yes.

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Guest misarella

Whatever you do, be aware that the powder can be washed really easily from items such as clothing. I really like S_A's idea about making the colored jars.

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S_A does have some good ideas for art projects, but I guess you'll more or less have to treat it like a chemistry project, with the students wearing goggles, aprons, and latex free gloves, to satisfy the no "direct contact with student's skin" policy. My apologies with my previous post, as my ideas are definitely "no go".

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I thought your ideas were good as well, Scoobert_Doo. and like you said, the kids (I'm assuming elementary?) would have to wear gloves at least to keep from staining their hands since it's food coloring. Maybe use spoons? Another fun project is blow art (see blow painting, only tweak it), where kids use straws and you could use glitter and glue sticks. They could make a family tree or something with markers and then put the glue on, and blow the "leaves" on?
It's a bummer that you can't have a color run, but maybe they're more worried about the food coloring staining the kids' clothes? I looked at different sites and such about this concoction, and all of them have said that the powder, once made, is easily washed off, and doesn't stain unless you leave it on the clothes long enough for the dye to seep in, and even then, it only faintly stains the clothes.

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The permission slip said to wear old clothes and trash bag ponchos would be provided.  This permission slip was initially approved.

 

I'm going to be presenting all those ideas anyway.  I did not fill my kitchen with powder baking and break a blender for my kids not to have fun somehow with it.  You guys are awesome!  

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Those are really creative ideas, so being late to this party might not be fashionable but... My mom was a teacher (30+) years and she always had her students make her a Rainbow Jar of Good Wishes- and while she had the students rub sidewalk chalk on 1/4 cup of salt instead of your powder, maybe the students can still let the powder layer/stripe represent them poured into a glass or clear plastic (?) jar and with gloves on their hands, dip their finger into water and then into their color powder to put their color on a large drawing paper to make their teacher a Rainbow that each stripe represents each student s/he had as an appreciation gift and an easy way for the teacher to remember her class. If that isn't too much work for y'all!  :rambo:

As always, Happy Gaming everybody!  :rock:

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2 words, Non-Newtonian Fluid. I'm a science nerd and once you mentioned corn starch I immediately though of that. All you need to do is mix equal amounts of starch and water.

 

It's a funny substance that isn't quite liquid but isn't a solid either. A fist sized blob would be fun to play with (with gloves of you're concerned), slowly put a finger through it and it sinks easily, yet, hit it with you hand and the blob resist! Put is on a speaker and watch in horror as it come alive! There are many tutorials and fun science experiment online.

 

Also, I'm not sure how much 50 pounds is but it you can fill a kid size pool, you can actually run on it! Good Luck!

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  • 3 weeks later...

So, update on color powder issue.  I want to thank everyone for their ideas.  However, upon returning from a weekend trip, we found the powder to have molded.  This happened with all the powder made by me and other team members at their houses, and the powder we had already taken to school.  

 

That solved our issue in one way.  We have actually taken note of all of your ideas (and ideas my teammates got from their sources) and will bring them up if we try this again. 

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HA! Yeah that did solve the issue >_< Glad you were inspired by the good ideas in this thread though, and hope you get a chance to let the kids try them out some time. :D

 

Would you need to store powder like that in completely air tight containers for it to last any length of time then?

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