Sidewalk chalk paint is such a fun outdoor activity for kids. It is quick and simple to make and uses just three common household ingredients. Sidewalk chalk paint offers hours of creative play and it all washes away easily with a hose or some rain.
It’s Autumn here in Australia yet the weather has been gorgeously sunny and warm so we’ve been spending as much time outdoors as possible. We enjoyed taking our art to the beach recently and so we thought it would be fun to try taking art outdoors again. Last week I whipped up a batch of sidewalk paint and R (4 yrs) had a wonderful time painting and exploring with this simple diy paint.
How to make sidewalk chalk paint
Simply mix together equal parts of corn flour (corn starch for my US readers) and water and add several drops of food colouring. That’s it. It’s that simple. I don’t measure anything. I usually just half-fill the container I’m using with corn flour (corn starch) and then top it up with water. I add the food colouring and mix. It’s best to be generous with the food colouring because the paint will dry slightly paler than it looks when it’s wet.
I mixed up several colours and we headed outside for some colourful fun. I offered R some sponge brushes as well as regular paint brushes. The sponges worked really well and were a great way to achieve a good thick coverage of paint.
R enjoyed dipping the paint brushes into the paint and then flicking them across the cement to create this lovely splatter effect.
The colours were so vibrant and happy. We found that the corn flour was settling a little at the base of the muffin tin so we would mix the colours with the brushes before using them. This was another way to ensure a good thick coverage of paint.
After creating a few pictures, R decided to tip out all of the colours. It created the most beautiful marbled effect as the colours spread and mixed together.
Such a gorgeous river of colour!
The mixture is basically a concentrated version of goop – you know, the corn flour and water mixture that is a solid when you put your hand into it but runs through your fingers like a liquid. This turned into a wonderful sensory activity and R explored the strange mixture – solid and tough as he ran his fingers through it on the cement but thin and runny when he lifted up his hand and it poured through his fingers. Those messy hands make me happy! It all washed off very easily and what a fantastic sensory exploration!
R tried using the sponge roller over the paint but he found that it didn’t spread – it was a solid once it hit the ground.
R explored happily for half an our or so and I had fun creating some colourful artwork in our back yard as well. We were left with beautiful bright happy murals along our garden path and it makes me smile every time I walk into our yard. We are going to wait for some rain to wash this all away but if you needed to clean up right away you could do so very easily with a garden hose.
I am thrilled to be hosting the 100 Days of Play blog hop today. Co-hosted by Sun Scholars and Life at the Zoo, the 100 Days of Play Blog Hop brings together 100 blogs from around the world, offering 100 play ideas over 100 days. If you have ever heard the words “Mum I’m bored!” or you think you might be running out of play ideas with your children or students, the 100 Days of Play Blog Hop will definitely provide some inspiration!
100 Days of Play Blog Hop
Sharing simple ideas on how to connect with your children through play!
New ideas shared each day from 4/1 – 7/20.
