Reuse: Washable sidewalk chalk paint.

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Do you have a kid that loves being outside making stuff? I do. I’ve found it is 100% the best way to keep toddler tantrums at bay… fresh air and a bit of creativity to wonders for all of us and there are only so many times Bo can water the plants in a day before I’m afraid they might drown.

Seeing as we aren’t buying any craft supplies this year, I’ve been making them and this one is by far the best one we’ve done yet. In fact it has a permanent little set up in our back yard now and Bo paints out there every afternoon… all you need some pretty standard pantry items and a slab of concrete or bricks to use as a canvas.

Ready? Set? Go!

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100% WASHABLE LIQUID CHALK DIY

Ingredients:

About 1/3 a cup of water
1 tbsp cornflour
a couple of drops of food colouring
Lots of jars and paint brushes
A milk bottle watering can (or water bottle) for little hands to mix their own.

Method:

Mix the water and the cornflour in a can or jar until it thickens, it should be a runny paint consistency. Then add a few drops of water colouring and stir. Rinse and repeat. Make lots of colours. Fill your backyard with jars of coloured chalk paint. Play for the rest of your lives…

That’s it.

Paint on walls or bricks or driveways to your hearts content. Share the brushes with the kids… Go on. The world is your canvas. When the paints dry out (and they will if you leave them outside with their lids off like I do… give the kids their own watering cans and let them add the water and stir to bring the paint back to life. It doesn’t matter if they add too much water and make the paint too watery – the kids don’t care… just let them play and paint and create.

Wash off with a hose if you need to freshen up your canvas. Or just leave your driveway/backyard/patio a crazy colourful mess until the next heavy rain… that’s what we do… it makes for a lovely backdrop in the backyard and we just add to it every day with a little more colour and fun.

Kids don’t need new stuff to have fun. They just need paint. And you. And each other. Life really is THAT simple. 

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What’s even better than paint that is completely non toxic, can be used on walls and concrete and bricks and tables and feet and hands and where ever (and totally washes off with a good hose down later on)? I’ll tell you what’s better. Paint that can be made from nothing but ingredients you would already have in your pantry… AND paint that a toddler can make themselves (with really only a little bit of supervision). AND it’s not terrible for the environment… Phew.

It’s so good it may as well be magic.

And who doesn’t love just a little bit of magic?

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  • March 12, 2014 - 3:49 am

    Raquel - This is such a great idea! My daughter loves nothing more than being outside. Since the weather is finally warming up enough for us to spend more time outdoors this would be a perfect!ReplyCancel

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