The world is our canvas – or at least our driveway is! Our kids enjoy tracing their body, creating never-ending hopscotch boards and playing our homemade game of chalk triangle.
Some of the best chalk we have is homemade! Toddlers prefer the chunky stick. Homemade chalk can be customised for colour and colour intensity. We think the brighter and more layers of colour, the better!
This activity makes sidewalk chalk from scratch. Make extra – your kids will love to give these sticks to their friends as gifts!
Materials:
• Disposable bowls and spoons/wooden sticks for mixing
• ½ a cup of corn starch
• Water
• 455g of plaster of paris (once lockdown is over you can get this from most hardware stores/chemists)
• Multiple colours of tempura paint
• Empty toilet paper rolls
• Rubber bands
• Wax paper
Instructions:
Use disposable bowls to mix in and plastic spoons or wooden stir sticks that you can throw away. Because you are using plaster of paris, you do not want to wash anything because it will clog your drain. Small children should not be involved in the first step and we recommend it be done outside.
Mix the corn starch and water first. Then add the plaster of paris slowly while continuing to stir. It will be the consistency of pancake batter. Once mixed, separate into smaller containers and add the desired tempura paint colour and mix.
Libe the empty toilet rolls with wax paper (both inside the tube and underneath where the tube will stand. Spoon the coloured mixture into the lined toilet paper tubes. If you use a rubber band to bunch a group of rolls together, it will make it easier to keep them standing upright.
Let the sticks dry fully, roughly 24 to 48 hours, before removing the paper tubes and heading to the driveway.
Modification for younger kids: Younger kids can direct the colour coordination and work as an assistant, going and getting things as needed.
Modification for older kids: Have your older kids layer the colours inside each tube to create rainbow sticks. As you draw a line on the sidewalk, it will change colours!
WARNING: Do not allow your children to touch the wet plaster with their bare hands, as it can cause burns. Throw away any unused plaster. Do not rinse out the containers in the house, because the plaster can solidify inside the pipes.
Source: 101 Kids Activities that are the Bestest, Funnest Ever! By Holly Homer and Rachel Miller.