Fun with Sidewalk Chalk

Making your own chalk can be educational for the kids - mixing and creating is all science. So try this for a great Summer Activity.

What You Need:
* A Mold
* Plaster of Paris
* Water
* Medium Sized Bowl
* Powdered Tempera Paint

Here's How:
1. Find a mold for your sidewalk chalk. Anything from a toilet tissue roll or small paper cup to fancy candy molds will work.
2. Mix together 1 cup of Plaster of Paris with 1 cup of water.
3. Add color to your mixture using powdered tempera paint.
4. Blend well and let stand for a few minutes.
5. Pour your mixture into the molds you chose.
6. Set aside and let dry completely.
7. Once dry you can remove your chalk from the mold.
8. Set it aside to dry for approximately 24 hours more.
9. Take your chalk outside and create fun masterpieces!

Tips:
1. Powdered tempera paint is available at most large craft stores.
2. Experiment with making swirled colors by adding the paint and stirring very little.
3. Drying time can take from several hours to a few days depending on the size of the mold you chose.

Truly the number of games you can play with Sidewalk Chalk is unlimited to your imagination. Basically anything you can draw up can turn into a Game, but I have featured some ideas to help inspire you.

Sidewalk Town
Use sidewalk chalk and draw a town, farm or zoo on the sidewalk. Add small cars to drive around the streets or to visit the zoo. Add small plastic animals for the zoo. The kids love this and it is truly unlimited.

Foot Prints
Have the children draw a trail of animal foot prints. Draw about 10 foot prints of each animal. Wiggle a trail around and down the sidewalk. Create foot prints of elephants, lions, deer, rabbits, cats, dogs, and so on. You can print out a cheat sheet online.
After the foot prints are done return to where they start. Have the children walk on the foot prints pretending to be that animal.

Stakeout
2 or more players.
Chalk a house with windows and doors. Have several areas (windows, doors, chimney) to capture. Chalk a baseline about 5 feet away (for younger children 4 feet away).
Rules:
Take turns tossing a disk onto the house. When a disk lands in a section that can be captured (like a door or window) mark the capture with initials. After all the sections are captured, each player counts up his Stakeouts. The player with the most Stakeouts wins!
Penalties:
Lose a turn if your disk lands on another player's Stakeout. The toss doesn't count if it lands less than half-way over the line.
Variations:
Try tossing the disk off the toe or the back of the hand.

Play School
Kids love to play teacher - well now they can. So let them have their moment.

Target Shooting
Create a target in any shape - maybe make more than one. Add point Values to them. Them make a line where they have to stand. Then find an item to toss that will not roll away when it lands and the kids now have a tossing game they created.

Human Game Board
This can really be done many ways, but here are the basics. Draw a bunch of squares big enough for a child to stand in. Have a pair of dice - big fuzzy ones are always fun. Then roll and hop. Who ever makes it to the end first wins. Now you can add things in the boxes - like bark like a dog or move back two spaces etc... Just have fun and use your imagination.

Here is something I did in my kitchen. My Daughter is a budding artist like her mommy so I decided to take an ugly wood door in my kitchen and turn it into a Chalk Board. I also made it magnetic as well. What I did was paint the door with the magnetic paint I bought at the local hardware store then covered it with Black Chalk Board paint. Being I love to draw as well this has become a fun place for me too - I write messages on the board for Birthday's and Holidays, I use it to quiz the kids and teach them school work, my kids love it and draw pictures. It is the best thing I have done. Guests just love it when they come over and inquire about how I did it all the time.
It truly made an ugly door functional.
You can use the Chalk Paint on almost any surface - which I think is just so cool. It is limitless really. So bring some of that Chalk fun indoors and give it a try.

That is my door in the photo

Dinnertime can be a doozie! But with this Chalk Talk Chalkboard Placemat, kids will keep busy on-the-go. Made with a durable oilcloth fabric that cleans easily, its as practical as it is fun! Whether as a sibling gift or a birthday gift, this is sure to please! Includes: 2 pieces of Crayola® chalk Sponge eraser Chalkboard placemat