Have you ever said to yourself "You know, sidewalk chalk is just so inexpensive and easily found at any drug, discount, grocery or dollar store. If only there were a way to complicate things..."?
Yeah, me neither. I don't even remember the last time I actually bought sidewalk chalk, it seems to multiply at our house like mismatched socks and wire hangers. It shows up in Christmas stockings and in birthday party goody bags and by one means or another, we've acquired a giant bucket full of the stuff, despite the fact that my three-year-old has eaten quite a bit of it (she still does this!).
But now that I know I can feed my child sidewalk chalk that wasn't crafted in China by slave laborers, I'm somewhat intrigued. Thrifty Fun has a recipe for the stuff, involving plaster of paris and tempera paint, with the caveat that it's messy to make. Because what's more fun than kids covered in chalk after a vigorous coloring session, than kids covered in chalk ingredients before they've even gotten to the part where they get to color the front walk?
I just don't know. I want to be the kind of mom who makes her own sidewalk chalk, but I don't think I have it in me. I loved this crayon-making project, but that involved old broken crayons that would otherwise have just been left to melt under the bookshelves. This involves making something from scratch that is regularly featured in the Target dollar bins. I think I'm going to have to defer to convenience here.
(via Apartment Therapy: The Nursery)
