Let your kids express themselves with artwork on the driveway!

Here are our favorite recipes for making sidewalk chalk, sidewalk paint, and sidewalk spray paint. All three recipes are inexpensive, and clean-up easily with water!

Just in time for Father’s Day, today we are going to create driveway art devoted to Dad – what a surprise he will have when he gets home from work today!

Get outside and get crafty on your driveway!

Sidewalk Paint

Painting the driveway and sidewalk is so much fun with this paint! The paint covers the surface easily, and provides a fast way to create large designs.

What You Need:

• Box of Cornstarch
• Food Coloring
• Cold Water
• Plastic Storage Containers (recycled margarine tubs work well)
• Paint Brushes, a variety of sizes

What You Do:

• Add 1/4 cup Cornstarch and 1/4 cup Cold Water in a small plastic storage container, and mix well. (HINT: Make sure not to add too much water – the paint covers better when it is just slightly thick).
• Add 6 to 10 drops of Food Coloring, and stir into the cornstarch mixture. Continue adding drops until you reach the desired color.
• Repeat the above two steps for each color of Sidewalk Paint you would like to make.

Tips:

• You may want to use a large bowl and mix the cornstarch and water together all at once. Use equal parts cornstarch and equal parts water. After stirring, pour the mixture into individual containers and add food coloring to achieve desired individual colors. If your paint looks to runny, add just a little more cornstarch to the mixture.
• Encourage your kids to experiment with different sizes and types of paint brushes. Dip a brush into the paint, then “spatter” it onto the driveway for an interesting affect.
• Try painting with Sponges. Cut the sponge into a variety of shapes, dip the sponge into the paint, then “stamp” the paint onto the driveway.
• Recycle cardboard boxes and make stencils for your kids to use. Just draw your shape onto the cardboard and cut it out – instant, disposable stencil!
• The paint will appear translucent when you first apply it, but as it dries, the colors become much more bold.
• We recommend you rinse out your brushes and dilute any left over paint outside. It is not recommended that you rinse your brushes or paint cups out in the sink.

Sidewalk Spray Paint

This Spray Paint is fun to use on the driveway and sidewalk, and cleans up easily with water. Spray painting designs allows you to create interesting effects, and works well with stencils. This paint can be used to paint snow and sand, too!

What You Need:

• Box of Cornstarch
• Food Coloring
• Warm Water
• Plastic Spray Bottle

What You Do:

• Add 4 tablespoons of Cornstarch to 1 cup of Warm Water in a bowl, and mix well.
• Add 6 to 10 drops of Food Coloring, and stir into the cornstarch mixture. Continue adding drops until you reach the desired color.
• Carefully pour the mixture into a small spray bottle, and shake to mix well.
• Repeat the above steps for each color of Sidewalk Spray Paint you would like to make.

Tips:

• Make sure to shake the spray bottle before using the paint. This will help prevent the paint from clogging in the nozzle.
• Try using a squeeze bottle with this paint – what a fun way to create some interesting squiggles!

Sidewalk Chalk

Good, old-fashioned sidewalk chalk is always a lot of fun for kids of all ages. This recipe allows you to make any color you want!

What You Need:

• Plaster of Paris (quick-setting is preferred)
• Powdered Tempera Paint
• Glitter (optional)
• Water
• Clay (for making molds)
• Ice Cube Tray (for use as a mold)
• Toilet Paper Tube (for use as a mold)
• Duct Tape

What You Do:

• Prepare your chalk molds so they are ready to be used. For large pieces of chalk, we like to use a toilet paper tube that has been taped shut on one end with Duct tape. For slender pieces of chalk, we use a special ice cube tray that makes long, thin ice cubes (the kinds of ice cubes that are intended to be put into water bottles). For unique shaped chalk, we use clay to create a mold.
• Mix together 1 cup Plaster of Paris, 1 cup Water, and 1 tablespoon powdered Tempera paint in a plastic bowl, stir well. The amount of plaster and water you need will depend on the size of your mold. Check the directions for mixing the plaster to make sure you have enough water, then adjust the amount of tempera paint until you get the color you desire.
• If you would like, sprinkle a little glitter into the mixture and mix well.
• Spoon or pour this mixture into a prepared mold.
• Repeat the above steps for each color of Sidewalk Chalk you would like to make.
• Allow the chalk mixture to dry thoroughly. The length of time it will take to dry depends on the type of Plaster of Paris (quick-setting or regular) and the size of your mold.
• When the chalk mixture is dry, carefully remove it from the mold.

Tips:

• After drawing your pictures on the driveway or sidewalk, dip an old paint brush in water and paint the water over your artwork. This gives an almost water-color look to your art.

Need Ideas to Get You Started?

Need a little inspiration on what to paint on your driveway or sidewalk? Here are some ideas to get you started.

• Paint a mural of a make-believe amusement park.
• Paint greetings to guests. It’s also fun to decorate a driveway for birthday parties with a special message to the birthday boy or girl.
• Play “Shapes”. Have each person draw one simple shape somewhere on the driveway. Then have everyone get up from their shape and move to the shape on their left. Using this new shape, encourage your kids to think of things they can draw from it. Be imaginative! A variation of this game is to have each person draw only one new element at a time, then rotate to the next shape. When everyone has had a chance to draw something on each shape, stand back and admire the team effort of the completed artwork.
• Paint and draw a magical land, complete with rivers and life-size bridges to walk over (don’t forget a troll under the bridge!).
• Draw roads for kids to ride their bikes on. Include stop signs and parking lots. Don’t forget a park with bike trails!

For indoor chalk fun, make sure to check out our Sugared Chalk idea!