Make sidewalk chalk for kids that changes color as they play! Only 3 ingredients! #sidewalkchalk #sidewalkpaint #squirtychalk #activitiesforkids #growingajeweledrose

Playing with sidewalk chalk is one of Rosie and Jewel's favorite summer activities.

Today, we experimented with a new chalk recipe that added a super fun twist to our play. The girls were wowed when they discovered that the chalk changed colors! During this activity they also got to create art, explore science, and review color theory. Read on for the full activity tutorial.

Color-Changing Sidewalk Chalk for Kids

Materials

Method

Begin with at least six empty squirt bottles.
Fill three of the squirt bottles 2/3 of the way with a baking soda and corn starch mixture, using roughly equal amounts of both ingredients.
In order to make a variety of changing colors you will want to begin with one red, one blue, and one yellow chalk. Add more colors as desired.
Add several drops of food coloring to each bottle, and then fill them the rest of the way with very warm water.

Use a butter knife or similar to stir the ingredients. Then, place the caps on and shake the bottles until blended.
Fill the remaining three bottles with vinegar, adding food coloring to each bottle.
You will want at least one red, one yellow, and one blue vinegar as a base for creating a variety of colors.

That's it! Head outside, and the play can begin!

Rosie and Jewel had a lot of fun creating art on the pavement, and they loved squeezing the paints from the bottles.

After a bit of free exploration they began combining colors to "magically" create new colors.

The yellow chalk and the blue vinegar combined to make fizzing green! The girls loved watching the colors blend. They also loved making the colors FIZZ, a fun lesson in science.

Combining the blue vinegar with the red chalk gave us purple fizzing art, and the red chalk with the yellow vinegar magically gave us orange.

Rosie and Jewel played and played, in awe of each magical eruption!

This was such a fun way to explore science and color theory while creating street art outside. When play time is over you can easily wash any mess away with a hose, or you can leave the art displayed until next rain-fall.

A Few Tips:

I recommend wearing play clothes during this activity, as food coloring can stain clothing. You could also use washable watercolors in place of food coloring to color your chalk, and this would eliminate any possible staining.
You can find squirt bottles in the kitchen gadget aisle of most major stores. You can also get them online here.

More Chalk Recipes for Kids