We are totally outside people during the summer, especially after being cooped up all winter. But when the heat of August kicks in, I’m often met with protests from The Tornado, who deems it “too hooooooooooooot” to play outside. I took to Pinterest to find some solutions to beat the heat, and discovered some fun – and creative – ways to cool down while being out in the August sun.
Heads up: These activities are best done in play clothes. Because they use either food coloring or paint and melting ice, they are fun, but messy.
At first, the chalk doesn’t show up on the driveway; however, as it dries, the colors show up just like regular chalk. Also, because it contains the same ingredients as Oobleck, it takes on that awesome “not a liquid, but not a solid” consistency as it melts.
Note: Our drawings stayed on our driveway for a looooong time – at least a couple of weeks – but disappeared after a good rain. A good soak with the hose should do the trick for erasing your artists’ work. Ice chalk gives a new – and chilly – meaning to outdoor drawing!
KIDS CRAFT: ICE CHALK
Materials:
- Cornstarch
- Water
- Food coloring
- Cupcake tins or silicone molds
- Q-Tips/Toothpicks/Spoon (anything you can stir with to fit your mold)
Directions:
Step 1: Mix the cornstarch and water. I did a half cornstarch-half water ratio, and it worked really well.
Step 2: Put your cupcake tins/silicone molds on a cookie sheet or cutting board for stability. Pour your mixture into your cupcake tins or molds. I like using the silicone molds because they are flexible and easy to pop out the chalk after it freezes (I used my snowflake mold from Christmas to help set the mood!).
Step 3: Add food coloring. Stir with your q-tips, toothpicks, or the end of a spoon. Stir and stir and stir. At first it will appear swirly, but the colors will mix together quickly.
Step 4: Pop the molds in the freezer for several hours, or overnight.
Step 5: After the mixture has frozen, pop your ‘chalk’ out of the mold. You might notice some separation of the ingredients, but this has no bearing on the outcome of the chalk, so don’t worry! Head outside to draw!
Thanks for reading,
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