DIY Sidewalk Chalk Paint {fun kid activity!}

The Heela typically has to work 1 weekend a month. Both days. In addition to working all week. From 7am to 7pm. And, no, he doesn't get paid anything extra for it. Raw deal, huh?

Yeah, well, not only is it hard on him, but I admit that it is often a little challenging for me too on those weekend when he works because I not only have to get all of our "normal" weekend responsibilities done {by myself} that don't get done during the week since we both work full-time, but I also have to take care of {and entertain} those 2 pesky preschoolers known as SweetPea and Boogey. WHAT??? The horror!!! ;)

Just kidding. They're not THAT pesky.Just a little annoying with having to eat 3 meals a day plus 2 snacks and drinks. Greedy little boogers! AND they want to be kept busy for 12 hours straight. Geesh! Where was THAT in the manual??!! I'm not sure I recall signing up for that part of parenthood!

OK... I kid, I kid. They're fabulous! And I do a damn good job as Mommy, thank you very much. But I dare any of you to tell me it isn't hard work! ;)

Anyway.... on weekends like this we usually spend the first half of the day running around doing errands (after a quick stop at the park. Ever been to the playground at 8am? It is pleasantly empty. I highly recommend!). It usually involves a trip to the grocery store and/or Target or some other necessary (but terribly boring for a 4 and 5 year old) task. So I like to try and do something a little more fun/creative in the afternoons. After all, these kids usually spend 10 hours a day at pre-school during the week where they are constantly being entertained or, at least, doing some sort of educational activity so they are used to being kept busy! So Momma gotta deliver! And I can only convince them that scrubbing the tile floors is fun so many times, ya know? ;)

So this past month, I decided to try out one of the activities from my "Kid's Crafts Ideas" Pinterest board. (of course I went and accidentally deleted the pin and now I can't remember where I found this idea originally, but it is all over blogland in various forms)

DIY Sidewalk Chalk Paint

The recipe for this 'paint' is so easy it is barely worth listing out, but I'll do it anyway because it gives me something more to write about. [haha]. Basically, you want to combine 1 part water to 1 part cornstarch and then add a touch of food coloring. You can make your batches of each color paint as big or small as you want, but as long as you keep that one-to-one ratio, you'll be good to go. Here is what we did...

What you need (per color):

1/4 Cup Cornstarch

1/4 Cup Water

A few drops of food coloring (I used Wilton gels)

Ingredients needed for DIY Sidewalk Chalk Paint

What to do:

The mixing and storing method is up to you, but here is what we did...

In a plastic cup, dump in 1/4 cup cornstarch.

Next, add 1/4 cup water.



Add 1 part water to 1 part corn starch



Stir well. Be sure to get all those globs out!

Stir well

Add a few drops of food coloring and stir well again.

Repeat in a new cup for each color desired.

Paint!

(See, this isn't rocket science people! ;)

[note: The cornstarch will settle a bit as time passes so just be sure to stir up the paint before you use it each time]

We transferred our paints to a muffin tin so there was less chance of a cup tipping over and then headed outside with our paint brushes in hand. Here you go...

DIY Sidewalk Chalk Paint

I have to say that the effect of the 'paint' was pretty cool and really did look like chalk once the water had evaporated. We did this activity on a warm day so the water evaporated almost instantly which gave us instant gratification. All the better! We had more success seeing the different colors on the white sidewalk than we did on the black driveway (which was no surprise) so keep that in mind when choosing your "canvas". We also noted that some colors showed up better than others for us, but that didn't detract from the fun in any way. My girls really enjoyed this activity and I will definitely do it again!

Be advised that this is a messy activity (assuming your kids are normal) so be prepared with some baby wipes/towels/a hose for clean up before going back in the house!

The carnage

And since you're already so messy, you might as well follow this activity up with some juicy watermelon. :)

Now get out there and have some ~FUN~!!!

*UPDATE* Since a few people have asked... We did not have any problems with stains on clothes (or kids!) but I will caveat that by saying my girls are 4 and 5 and managed to keep their clothes relatively clean. They really got more of the “paint” on their legs, arms and hands, but no color remained after a quick washing up. But, to be safe, I don’t let my kids do messy crafts in their “sunday best” anyway. In terms of the pavement, we actually had rain that very night and, much to the girls dismay, the “paint” was completely washed away with no evidence of the fun time the day before. But, I’ll add the disclaimer, of course, that your experience may vary so use your own judgment.

This post was featured! Thank you! Be sure to check out these awesome blogs:

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