I remember when I was growing up, we would play outside all the time. One of my favorite things to do was sidewalk chalk. Luckily for me, my kiddos seem to love it as well.
They could spend hours outside letting their creativity come out through their drawings and games they create with the sidewalk chalk. So, it got me wondering if there was anything fun and new to do with chalk. That’s when I found out you can make sidewalk chalk paint!
Now, in full disclosure I have not had my kids try this yet but we plan to do it this weekend.
So, let me tell you what I know from reading about it. It only takes three ingredients to make and I bet you have them already in your house. You’ll need cornstarch, water and liquid food coloring.
Mix together equal parts of cornstarch and water and whisk it until it’s smooth. Then divide the mixture in small containers, or a muffin tin, and add a drop or two of food coloring to each.
That’s it!
That mixture creates a paint that, when it dries, looks like sidewalk chalk.
You can take paint brushes, sponges and foam brushes to use on your sidewalk and let your kids get as creative as they want.
I know my kids are going to love this, because they enjoy painting and sidewalk chalk. So, this should be a home run activity for our family!
I might throw in some stencils for them to use. My kids love drawing and tracing their stencils on paper, so I think it would work great with the sidewalk chalk paint as well.
Something to keep in mind is that the food coloring, depending on the fabric, might stain clothing. So, I would recommend putting your kids in old play clothes for this activity.
Other than that, this is an easy and affordable way to do something new and fun outside with your kids. With the weather warming up, stay tuned for more fun ways to spend time outside with your kids!
ANN BURNS is a Morgantown native, raising two young children with her husband, Drake. She writes weekly columns for The Dominion Post. Contact her at Columns@DominionPost.com.
