June 14 // Sidewalk Chalk Ideas and Tips!

may our kids make some messes this week :)

This week’s idea is nothing new, but it’s definitely sidewalk chalk season, so here are some tips to optimize this sometimes-frustrating medium.

Wet the chalk (or the sidewalk.)

Though this will use up the chalk more quickly, it’s easier to draw with and the colors are more smooth and pigmented. You can either put your pieces of chalk in a cup for about ten seconds—if you just leave them in water, they’ll dissolve!—or you can pour water on the sidewalk so your whole canvas is easier to work with. Chalk is actually a great activity on a rainy day for this reason!

Make your own chalk paint with water, cornstarch, and food coloring.

Have you made Ooblek before? Make it a bit more watery, and add some food coloring. A muffin tin is perfect for mixing the paint; I recommend letting the kids do it themselves!
You know what else is fun? Throwing this paint at each other and splattering it all over the sidewalk! 

If you don’t have access to a sidewalk, cardboard works pretty well.

I looked it up, and it seems that—legally—you can’t just draw on sidewalks anytime you want. You probably won’t get in trouble if you do, but if drawing at the park makes you nervous, cardboard works pretty great! (Yep, even with wet chalk.)

Blend chalk with water.

After you fill in a shape or write words, take some water and blend the colors together! When it dries, it’ll mystify onlookers!

Use masking tape to make a chalk mosaic.

Make sure you blend each shape in with water to make it look extra cool!

Make scenes and props using chalk!

My friend Diana Dunn creates beautiful things in all aspects of life, and she has made some super cool chalk art that her kids clearly enjoyed posing with. (Check out her instagram and her website!)

How creative are these!

You can also draw some of your child’s favorite things and write their name! (Kids love seeing their name.) My little one requested a drawing of a monkey and a road 🤷‍♀️

Let your kids make chalk paste.

My kids spent hours and days making chalk paste. by scrubbing chalk until it turned a little foamy. It’s an incredible (and messy) sensory experience!

Act of Thoughtfulness: Welcome Chalkboard

This is another idea I got from Diana: about ten years ago I went to visit her house, and there was a chalkboard awaiting me at the front door with my name on it. (Kids aren’t the only ones who love seeing their name 😉)

That clearly stuck with me and made me feel so loved that I resolved to have a welcome chalkboard at my house from now on. You won’t believe how much your guests will appreciate that tiny act of thoughtfulness! So many guests take a picture with it. It only takes a minute of intentionality, but it means a lot!

I use this chalkboard with liquid chalk markers. My kids like writing the welcomes, too, but the guests’ names aren’t always spelled correctly 😄

Hopefully you got some good ideas from that! I would love to see pictures your kids come up with! Email family.scripts.info@gmail.com or DM us on instagram @family.scripts to show us!

Thanks for reading!

Warmly,
Hope from Family Scripts