Tuesday's Art Adventure: Sugar Chalk Drawing

Drawing with chalk on paper is just fun. I don't know why, but I love it. Kids love it. I wouldn't be surprised if you did too.

But, I bet what you don't like is that it always stays messy. If you ever touch it again it smears. Well, there is a way to fix that.

To make the chalk set so it no longer smears, first soak the chalk in sugar water. Seriously. You can run your finger over it and it won't smudge. (Within reason, you could make it smudge if you tried hard enough of course.)

Sugar Chalk Drawing

Supplies:

• water
• sugar
• chalk
• construction paper

Fill a small bowl with water and dissolve a tablespoon or two into the water. Don't fret too much about measurements; just make sure your sugar dissolves in the water.

Add the chalk (and enjoy the fizzy sound it makes) and let soak for 10-30 minutes. I think I did 15. Just make it fit the time you have, but it doesn't have to take long.

After the soak, let the chalk sit out to dry. You can either wait for it to completely dry or use it when it's still a bit wet. Either way.

I like to use colored construction paper because the color of the chalk really pops on the construction paper, and let's face it, crayons and markers just don't.

Here's goofball numero dos showing off his picture:

And numero uno:

He added a story to his. :)

This is really fun, and so easy! Chances are you already have the supplies on hand so get creating!

   
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Tuesday's Art Adventure: Sidewalk Chalk Paint

Are you able to get outdoors? We are finally having some beautiful weather, so I thought an outdoor project was in order.

Super simple. Make your own sidewalk chalk paint.

Sidewalk Chalk is fun, but there is just something awesome about painting on your driveway. :)

Supplies:

• old bits of sidewalk chalk (or any chalk)
• ziploc-type bags
• hammer or mallet
• bowls or storage containers
• water
• large paintbrush

We always wind up with bits of sidewalk chalk that are too stubby for anyone to want to use, but there is still enough left that I hate to throw them away. So gather those up and separate by color, one color in each bag. (It doesn't have to be perfect matches.)

Zip the top closed and mash it up as finely as you can with a hammer or mallet.

Pour the powdered chalk into your bowls or containers.

Add water, just a tablespoon or so at a time, stirring after each addition, until you reach the desired consistency.

Once you have mixed up all the colors you want, let your little one have some fun painting a masterpiece on your sidewalk or driveway.

It will wash away eventually like all other sidewalk chalk.

If you use a storage container, pop the lid on any leftovers. The next time you want to use it, just add a bit more water if it's dried out and paint again.

Option 2 ('cause I'm all about options!):

If you don't have any bit of sidewalk chalk to use, you can make some paint from scratch.

You need:

• cornstarch
• food coloring
• water
• bowls or storage containers

Put about 1/4 cup of cornstarch in a bowl or container, no real need to measure. 

Add water a couple tablespoons at a time, stirring after each addition, until you reach desired consistency.

Add a few drops of food coloring and stir.

You can paint with this on the sidewalk and it will wash away just like sidewalk chalk. 

I will tell you that this works, especially if you don't have chalk to use up. But a word of caution: it is very hard to get the consistency right and to stay right. This is because cornstarch suspensions are non-Newtonian fluids. Sometimes the mix will seem really runny and then it sits for a minute and gets harder or almost rubbery. (Thank you Fetch! with Ruff Ruffman for teaching me and my kids these things.) So, if you go the cornstarch route, you may find yourself needing to correct the mixture more than once as you use it.

The other reason I like using option one better is that it's just fun to smash things. :)


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