We collected up a whole bucketful of large chalk scraps from the garden the other day and rather than throw them away I experimented with turning them into a chalky paint instead.
We grated them into separate glass jam jars and admired how pretty they looked. You could also try crushing them using a pestle and mortar with younger kids.
They looked like lovely, old-fashioned powder paints, the type we used to have at school when I was a little girl.
Then I gave her a jug of water and she loved mixing it in to each one and vigorously stirring it up to make a smooth, runny paste.
And then we set up large white paper table cloths in the garden for her to paint at LARGE over to her heart’s content. Increasing the scale = diversifying and expanding the experiences!
The paint worked fairly well on paper, but MUCH better on the ground and walls. Liquified chalk- perfect!
It washes off easily with water when you’re ready.
This activity is good for:
* teaching about reuse and recycling
* painting and creating using a range of materials and on a different scale
* investigating the change of materials from dry to wet, solid to powder to liquid to dry powder again
Melissa @ The Chocolate Muffin Tree says
Boy do we think alike or what? Check out my post today!!! Great minds think alike!
Kaci * Little Piles Everywhere says
This is an awesome idea. We painted in our driveway with washable paint a few weeks ago. I kept thinking chalk paint would be better. Never thought to make my own. Thanks for the inspiration!