DIY Sidewalk Chalk - Find it, Make it, Love it

Spring, summer, and sidewalk chalk. As long as the weather is warm, our driveways and sidewalks are filled with colorful kids art. Steff and I thought it would be extra fun if the kids got to make their own sidewalk chalk — because kids love making stuff. 🙂 We tried a couple recipes and kept having to tweak them. In the end, we managed to come up with our own recipe. This one worked just right!

Here’s what you need:

Toilet paper tubes
Duct tape
Wax paper
Plastic container for mixing
1/2 cup Water
1/2 cup Plaster of Paris
2-3 tablespoons finger paint (or one whole container from the Dollar Store)

(Walmart has the best price for Plaster of Paris, and we were so excited the Dollar Store finger paints worked-and worked great! They are cheaper than Tempura paint. 🙂

Step 1: Use Duct tape to tape one end of the tp tube.

Step 2: Cut a strip of wax paper, roll it and slip it into each toilet paper tube. Trim the top if necessary.

Step 3: Mix the water with the entire container of finger paint.

Step 4: Stir in the Plaster of Paris and mix well.

Step 5: Pour the mixture into the toilet paper tube.

Step 6: Tap the filled tube on the table to get out air bubbles, also tap the sides.

Step 7: Place them on a cookie sheet and let set for about an hour.

Step 8: After about an hour, remove the toilet paper tube.

Step 9: Lay them on a wire rack to dry completely. It can take 24-48 hours depending on temperature and humidity. Ours were dry enough to try out after about 24 hours.