Homemade sidewalk chalk

The first few weeks of summer break have been wonderful. We’ve enjoyed the pool, started tennis lessons, had sleepovers, weeded gardens and more. I’m anticipating there will be some weeks when “I’m bored-itis” will hit though. I wonder if Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle has a cure for “I’m bored-itis”.

Side note: if your little one hasn’t read some of the Mrs. Piggle Wiggle series or watched some of the shows (they are on hulu!), that is a cure in itself!

In my arsenal to beat boredom this summer: a simple recipe for homemade sidewalk chalk paint.
We’ve done it the last couple summers and it is a sure-fire way to keep the kids busy for the afternoon.

You’ll need:
cornstarch
water
food coloring
foam brushes (ours came 4 to 5 in a bag at the dollar tree)
plastic containers (we found yogurt containers to be a nice size)
old T-shirts for art smocks

Put about 1/4 cup cornstarch and a few drops of food coloring in each container. Slowly add water while you stir. It doesn’t take much water. About 1/4 cup. You want the consistency of cheap paint.

The colors will be brighter in the container (and when wet on the pavement) but will turn chalky and very pale once dry. So add food coloring if you’d like them to be a little more colorful when dry.

See that look of sheer concentration? I told you it will keep them busy for the afternoon!

In our experience, this paint does not stain concrete. The first time, we let the rain wash it away within a couple days. And the second time we did it on the garage floor and never had a chance to even hose it down. There’s no trace of it left even though we never bothered to clean it up.

Your turn: Any easy ideas for “I’m bored-itis”? I’d love to hear! We are hoping to fill our summer days with fun things at home…making lots of memories without it being a big production. Except in the eyes of the child of course!