Easy DIY Liquid Sidewalk Chalk for Kids

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Easy DIY Liquid Sidewalk Chalk for Kids

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I am slowly getting into some summer routines with my kids; which includes spending as much time outside as possible.  My kids love being outside and our sidewalk chalk inevitably comes out every time we are outside. I wanted to try something new with my kids so we made our own liquid sidewalk chalk.

This chalk is easy to make and shows up beautifully on sidewalks and driveways. The activity is a great hands-on activity for kids to make the chalk and provides lots of outdoor fun, and art.

I have used this liquid sidewalk chalk countless times over the years. It has never stained our driveway or sidewalks and simply washes away with the first rain.

However, it is always a good idea to test out a small patch on the surface you plan to use the chalk on and make sure that it rinses away.

Liquid Sidewalk Chalk Materials

The materials that you need are simple and kid friendly. Half of the fun for my kids is making the liquid sidewalk chalk. The other half was using it. All you need is:

  • Corn Starch
  • Food Coloring
  • Squirt Bottles (Optional)
  • Paint Brushes (Optional)
  • Eye Droppers (Optional)

The more corn starch you have, the more chalk you can make. Kids will love being involved in making the chalk. I would suggest at least a few cups of corn starch in order to make enough chalk to last.

How to Make Liquid Sidewalk Chalk

Start by adding corn starch to a large bowl. Break down any clumps. Next, add water. It needs to roughly be the consistency of melted ice cream (thicker than water, but runny enough to still squeeze out of the bottle). 

Add water until you can pour the corn starch + water mixture. If it is too runny it will not show up as well on the sidewalk/driveway.

liquid sidewalk chalk

Once you have the white sidewalk chalk mixture, you can add the colors in whatever way works for you. Below are some of the ways that I have used the liquid chalk over the years.

Squirt Bottles

If you are using squirt bottles, you can pour the white mixture into each bottle. Next, add a few drops of food coloring to the bottle and shake. Once the color is throughout, it is ready to be used.

The squeeze bottles are fun to use as something different to create art with. My kids love using them, so we make sure to get them out every summer.

The other bonus to the squeeze bottles is that they are something different and interesting for kids to make art and pictures with. For younger children, they are a good way to keep the paint contained.

liquid sidewalk chalk

Painting with Liquid Sidewalk Chalk

Another great way to use the liquid sidewalk chalk is by painting with it. I used an old muffin tin, and added the white corn starch and water mixture.

Next, add a few drops of food coloring to each of the sections and then mix the color around.

The more food coloring you add, the darker, and deeper the color. You can play around with it a bit and add more color, or the white mixture if you change your mind and want the color darker, or lighter.

liquid sidewalk chalk

I tend to use quite a bit of food coloring.  I like the color being really vibrant. You will find that the liquid sidewalk chalk stands out much more then regular sidewalk chalk on a driveway. 

My kids like experimenting with the food coloring and coming up with their own color creations.  We used thick paint brushes and some small sponges to paint with from the muffin tins.

liquid sidewalk chalk

Creating the Liquid Sidewalk Chalk

Another option for adding the food coloring to the white base mixture, is using eye droppers. My kids at home, and students at school, love using the eye droppers. They allow children to easily control how many drops of color they add.

We used several large bowls and I poured the white corn starch and water mixture into each of the bowls. The kids then used eye droppers to add a drop or two of food coloring into the bowl. They then mixed it together. If they wanted a darker color they used their eye dropper to add more color, if needed.

The eye droppers are also great for kids to try some color mixing. My kids played around with adding a few drops of red, and mixing, and then adding a drop of blue to see what would happen. They loved being given the opportunity to mix and create their own colors.

Liquid Sidewalk Chalk Extension Ideas

Children will be able to find lots of things to do and create with the liquid sidewalk chalk. From hopscotch games and lines to create a path for bikes to follow, the options are endless.

The great thing about the chalk being liquid is that child get to paint and draw with chalk in a whole new way.

To extend out activity, I used some chalk and drew a few simple faces on the driveway. My kids then used their squirt bottles, and paint brushes to add details. The faces ended up with some wild hair and facial features.

liquid sidewalk chalk

I love the colors and how beautiful our driveway looks right now.  If you have never made liquid sidewalk chalk before, I strongly recommend it.  It can get a bit messy and you made end up with kids covered in chalk, but it is well worth it!

For your convenience, this post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases and I may earn a small commission at no cost to you.

Solid Sidewalk Chalk

We love making liquid sidewalk chalk; however, this year we tried out some new sidewalk chalk ideas. This solid sidewalk chalk turned out so neat! We even made a rainbow block of chalk. To view this activity, instructions on how to create this chalk and a free gift tag for the chalk, click the image below.

More Hands-On Teaching Ideas

If you are looking for more activities and ideas to do in the classroom, or at home with kids, below are some of my favourite and most popular learning activities.

From crayon melting art, and clay animals craft ideas to escape rooms and printable activity books, there are lots of things to keep kids busy and learning.

outdoor education

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