Homemade Sidewalk Chalk

Any excuse is a good excuse to get outside. And homemade chalk ranks right up there! Not only will making your own sidewalk chalk bring hours of hopscotch and drawing entertainment, but all that sidewalk fun builds the hand muscles, which helps young kids as they learn to write.

What You Need:

• Toilet paper or paper towel tubes
• Scissors
• Duct tape
• Wax paper
• 3/4 cup warm water
• Small bucket or disposable container
• 1 1/2 cups plaster of Paris
• 2-3 tablespoons powdered tempura paint

What You Do:

1. If you’re using paper towel tubes, cut each tube in half. Cover one end of each paper tube with duct tape. Cut as many pieces of wax paper as you have tubes. Each piece should be as long as the tube and about 4 inches wide. Roll up each piece of wax paper and slip it into the tube.
2. Pour the water into the bucket. Sprinkle the plaster of Paris over the water and stir the mixture thoroughly with a spoon. Mix in the tempura paint. (If you’d like pastel colors, you can mix brighter colors of tempura powder with some white.)
3. Place each tube tape side down, on a level surface. Pour the wet plaster mixture into the tubes. Lightly tap the sides of each tube to release air bubbles, then set the plaster-filled tube aside to harden for a few days. Once it’s dry, peel off the tubes and wax paper. Your chalk is ready for action!