made by morgan
DIY Sidewalk Chalk
By Morgan Sprigler
What You Will Need
Plaster of paris
Acrylic or tempura paint in bright colors
Silicone molds or a cake pop pan
Plastic cups
Plastic spoons
Cold water
Sandwich bags (optional)
Scissors (optional)
Lemonade (optional but encouraged)
Step One
Set out plastic cups in a row. Squeeze a quarter size of paint into the bottom of the
cup. Repeat this step with each color. I found bottle of bright, acrylic paint at Meijer
for 79 cents apiece. My daughters and I selected six different colors. They wanted 27
different bottles, but after a tantrum and a healthy screaming match, we settled on six.
Step Two
Pour cold water into each cup, filling it approximately one-third of the way full.
Using cold water is a very important step. If you are crafting outside (which I
highly recommend for this project), bring a pitcher of ice water with you. Now, let
your kids stir with their plastic spoons while you check your Insta-stories/email/
Facebook.
Step Three
Slowly add plaster of paris, taking time to stir in between pours. A good rule of
thumb would be to use twice as much plaster as water. You want to achieve the
consistency of yogurt. Please explain to child that this is not actual yogurt. The label
clearly states, “DO NOT INGEST.” So, please, don’t.
SO, I AM AWARE THAT YOU CAN PURCHASE A
60 COUNT OF SIDEWALK CHALK FOR $5.99 AT
PRETTY MUCH ANY STORE ON EARTH. HOWEVER,
AREN’T WE ALL LOOKING FOR A WAY TO KEEP OUR
PRECIOUS OFFSPRING BUSY THIS SUMMER? IT’S
TIME TO CREATE SOME MEMORIES AND YOU DON’T
HAVE TO BE A MASTER CRAFTER FOR THIS PROJECT
(MY ONE-YEAR-OLD EXCELLED MAKING HER FIRST
BATCH OF THIS HOMEMADE CHALKY GOODNESS).
64
EXTOL • JUNE/JULY 2017
Step Four
Pour your mix into your mold. We used both silicone molds and a steel cake pop
pan. The chalk was much easier to remove from the silicone, but both worked. Let
your chalk sit out in the sun for as long as your children will allow.
Step Five (optional but highly encouraged
Lemonade break!
Step Six
I gave in after 5 hours and being asked, “Ready yet Mommy?!” no less than 1,000 times.
Ideally, you want to let your chalk form for 24 hours. If your children will approve, you
can pop out a few a bit early and let the rest sit until the next afternoon. Simply remove
your chalk from your molds. Your molds can be washed and reused for future baking.