Homemade Sidewalk Chalk

Making SIDEWALK CHALK is so fun and easy, I doubt we'll ever buy it from a store again! I've seen multiple DIYs on making chalk, but they all seem to use toilet paper rolls lined with wax paper or foil...some big complicated mess. I decided to use our silicone molds (the ones we only use for crafts) and the chalk popped out easily, plus it took on some fun and funky shapes! HOMEMADE SIDEWALK CHALK can be made in less than 10 minutes, but it takes 2-3 days to set completely...so give yourself plenty of time!

Materials needed:

-Plaster of Paris

-tempera paints

-water

-silicone molds

-paper or plastic cups

-plastic spoons or craft sticks

First, protect your working area with some newspaper.

The recipe for sidewalk chalk is pretty simple: 50% plaster of paris, 50% liquid (water + paint).

You can measure it out precisely: 1 cup plaster, 3/4 cup water, 1/4 cup paint; or you can do what we did and just "eye ball" it. 

Fill up your disposable cups about halfway with plaster.

Add a good squirt of paint. 

Then add water. And mix. 

Once you have all your chalk mixed up, carefully pour it into the silicone molds. 

If you want to mix colors, making a funky tie-dye effect, fill your mold about halfway with one color. Then carefully pour other colors on top. 

Set your sidewalk chalk aside for a full day to dry. I suggest placing it near an air vent in your house to speed up the process. 

After a day has passed and the chalk looks dry, gently flip the molds over and release the chalk onto some wax paper. (If the chalk is still moist, you can try drying the chalk with a hair dryer too.) 

Once the chalk has been removed from the molds, put it aside for another day or two for the chalk to set-up and dry completely. (As you can see, our yellow mixture may have been a little too moist on our first try...it was still sticky when we took it out of the molds. We let the yellow dry for a day longer than the rest, and it colored just fine!)

Now, time to play!!! Aren't the colors beautiful? Brighter than any sidewalk chalk I've ever seen! 

Enjoy!!!