Sure, there is a little candy, but there is also a new swimsuit, beach towel, pool floaty, bubbles, chalk and more. Being someone who always likes to give a little something handmade and knowing I wasn’t going to make a towel or pool floaty, chalk seemed like the logical choice.
A wise friend with older children once told me that each spring she fills her Easter baskets with outdoor summer fun toys.
Sure, there is a little candy, but there is also a new swimsuit, beach towel, pool floaty, bubbles, chalk and more. Being someone who always likes to give a little something handmade and knowing I wasn’t going to make a towel or pool floaty, chalk seemed like the logical choice.
Plus, my kids didn’t believe me that we could make our own chalk, so I needed to prove them wrong and sing nana-nana-boo-boo. Actually Easter-egg-shaped chalk was surprisingly easy to make. I feel inspired to make it into all kinds of shapes now.
SUPPLIES
- Plaster of Paris
- Kids' paint
- Water
- Silicone baking mold of an egg
- Disposable cups
I had a six-egg mold, so first I added plaster of Paris to six disposable cups.
Next I squirted kids' paint, little bits at a time, into each cup. We tried some glitter paint, but sadly our chalk did not glitter. You want the plaster to be thick and smooth, but not super runny. You may have to add extra water, plaster and paint accordingly.
Stir like a crazy person. Your plaster will start to set up pretty quickly, so I learned the hard way not to put paint in all six cups at once.
Make one cup of chalk at a time or the last cup will be starting to go in to rigor mortis by the time you get to it.
Pour your plaster into the molds. At this point, I realized some of my eggs had enough plaster and some needed a bit more. Feel free to experiment and make swirly chalk.
Once your molds are full, them set aside on a flat surface to dry. Mine took about 24 hours.
Is it easier to buy ready-made chalk? Of course it is.
Is it better to pat yourself on the back and brag to your other mommy friends that you made your own? Duh. Also, and most importantly, my kids had fun helping me and were pretty amazed at their own awesomeness after making chalk. Next stop, popsicle chalk!