How to Make Sidewalk Chalk

HOW TO MAKE SIDEWALK CHALK

Are you looking for something fun and creative to make with your kids? I created this quick and easy tutorial on how to make sidewalk chalk using three simple ingredients.  And I will be sharing exactly what you’ll need to make your own DIY sidewalk chalk.

No matter what time of year it is, kids love getting outside.  These days it seems we’re stuck indoors in an effort to keep our family safe from Covid-19.  I don’t know about your kids, but my daughter is going a bit stir crazy.  Truth be told I am too. 

Sidewalk chalk is a fun activity for kids of all ages and adults too.  In fact, a local artist in my area started using sidewalk chalk to draw art and write messages of hope on sidewalks.  It was such an inspiration that lots of kids are now doing the same.  It’s such a great idea and it’s also a nice way to help give kids hope and feel like they are working together, even if we’ve been socially distancing.

How to make sidewalk chalk

You can make sidewalk chalk using these three simple ingredients: 

1. Water
2. Paint
3. Plaster of Paris 

Yep, that’s pretty crazy huh?  All this time you’ve been buying sidewalk chalk from the stores.  Truth be told, I used to always buy sidewalk chalk from the stores too.

The ingredients are pretty easy to find at most craft stores and even your local hardware store.

Advantages to making your own sidewalk chalk

There are advantages when you make your own sidewalk chalk.  Here are a few advantages of making your own sidewalk chalk as opposed to buying it in the store. are:

• • It’s economical to make
  • You can customize chalk colors
  • No need to run to the store to buy chalk
  • The shapes you can make are unlimited 
  • It’s fun to make with your kids
  • Once you’ve made it, you get to create art

So now that we talked about the ingredients used to make sidewalk chalk and what the advantages are to making your own, let’s mix up a batch!

Directions for making sidewalk chalk

1. Pour 3/4 cups of water into a disposable zipper bag
2. Squirt 1/4 cup (2 ounces) of your favorite color into the zipper bag with the water.
3. Zip the bag closed tightly and mix until combined 
4. Carefully open zipper bag and add 1 cups of Plaster of Paris powder. 
5. Close zipper bag tightly and smoosh the bag carefully to combine all ingredients

Once your mixture is completely combined, snip off a corner of the baggie and pipe the chalk mix into a silicone mold.  I like to use fun shapes!

Allow the chalk molds to set for 24 hours or until fully dry.  Once the chalk is completely dry you can remove chalk from the molds. 

How do you clean up sidewalk chalk?

Even though the recipe for sidewalk chalk calls for paint, don’t freak out.  The sidewalk chalk won’t stain because the colors are water soluble.  As a result, the chalk fades and gets washed away with water and soap or even a nice summer rain shower.

If chalk gets on your child’s clothes, it will easily wash away with laundry soap.

So are you ready to make this DIY sidewalk chalk?

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial on how to make sidewalk chalk.  Let me know how this recipe came out for you.  If you want to brag a little, share some of your photos with me.

Until our next fun project, I hope your family stays safe and healthy.

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