Materials Needed:
- Plaster of Paris
- Water
- Tempera paint (powdered or liquid)
- Small molds for the chalk (Possibilities: bathroom tissue tubes or small paper cups reinforced with duct tape)
- A container for mixing and a spoon for stirring
Directions:
My almost-four-year-old daughter and I made our chalk on the back deck. Knowing it could get messy, I cut open a plastic garbage bag and spread it out to use as our working surface. First, we reinforced our molds (little paper cups and bathroom tissue tubes) with duct tape. We also covered one end of the bathroom tissue tubes with the tape. My daughter started out holding the mold while I put on the tape, but soon she was doing the tape herself.
Next, we made our chalk mixture. We put some Plaster of Paris in a mixing container, then added a little bit of water at a time until the mixture was creamy but firm. To color the chalk mixture, we added tempera paint and then stirred well. (If you want swirled chalk, just stir the mixture a little bit before putting it into the molds.) The mixture was a bit difficult for my daughter to stir, but she enjoyed choosing the paint colors and adding them to the mixture.
Finally, we spooned the mixture into the molds, making sure to push it in firmly. (Lining the inside of the mold with waxed paper may help to make the chalk smoother.) The Plaster of Paris hardens quickly. We took the chalk out of the molds after about 30 minutes, and we were able to use it right away! You may want to let your chalk sit out to dry completely for a day before storing it in any container.
Enjoy your homemade sidewalk chalk this summer!
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