Messy Activity of Making Sidewalk Chalk
By Lea AlteaWinnen August 27, 2024
The perfect mix of art, science, and fun can be found in messy, multistep, open-ended projects. These kinds of projects can span many different areas of development too! Recently, I engaged in a project that spanned about 2 weeks with my children. I found a simple recipe for sidewalk chalk, and I thought it would be fun for my children to give it a try. The recipe consisted of cornstarch, water, and paint. I like to bring simple activities beyond our normal day-to-day to help keep their little minds growing.
We started by mixing cornstarch and water. The boys enjoyed just playing in this mixture. The interesting thing about cornstarch mixed with water is that it acts both like a liquid and a solid at the same time. My older son was driving some of his toy cars through it, and trying to pick it up to place on the top of them. You could see how his mind was working as he attempted to put it on top of his toy. His younger brother was interested in the way it “chipped” and “dripped” as it fell from his fingers, showing both the solid and liquid characteristics. This mixture can make a great sensory activity on its own, it is a bit messy, but clean-up is a snap. I have never shied away from messy projects as a preschool teacher, so messy little ones never bothered me.
Powered paint was mixed with water and then, the mixture was added. My kiddos helped me stir it all together to get the color we wanted. I had my boys help me to place the cornstarch, water, and paint mixture into ice tray containers. They used a spoon to scoop and drop. It was messy and a little chaotic, but it works! Then I put it up and left it to dry. I thought it would only take a few days, but it took 2 weeks!!
Once I knew it was dry, I put the dried sidewalk chalk into a bowl, It was very crumbly and most of it fell to pieces. I wanted my boys to see how it would work. The colors were bright and beautiful, but unfortunately, It fell apart as soon as one of the boys tried to use it. They still had fun with it! They smashed it with their hands and shoes. My older son had the idea to collect the crumbles and pour water into the bowl. He was experimenting with how the different colors mixed and how it “melted” (His words!) under the facet. Next, he poured the water onto all the pieces that they had smashed into the sidewalk. Of course, both boys were painting their legs and arms with sidewalk chalk and water after too long. The messier the merrier!
So this one project became very messy, but it turned into an ongoing creative hands-on sensory science experience for both boys! I asked them questions like, “What colors do you see? Did the sidewalk chalk stay together or fall apart? How does it feel in your hands? What happens with it gets wet?” This encourages a conversation about what they are experiencing and helps to develop language and social-emotion skills. It creates experiences that enrich their learning and their lives. Keeping the tasks you do with your kiddos open-ended gives them control over how they use them. So don’t be affair of simple messy projects, they can be some of the best and most fun experiences your kiddos will get to engage in!
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