Homemade Sidewalk Chalk ... Kid School Auction

The boys school is having a silent auction in a week.  Each classroom has a basket that they put together and auction off.  Each Classroom has a different theme.  Caden's Kindergarten class theme is playtime.  They wanted art supplies etc.  I of course couldn't just go buy something I wanted to make some fun things.  Yes you can roll your eyes at me, Rick does every time I tell him what my plan is.

So I set out on a plan to make sidewalk chalk, playdough and crayons.  First off we have Homemade Sidewalk Chalk (recipe found on Oh My! Handmade), which I must say was pretty darn easy to make.  The hardest part was finding the Plaster of Paris, finally found it at Micheal's for like $7.99 and I have enough to probably make 64 chalk pieces.  I made 12 for the auction.  Caden picked out the colors of Blue, Pink and Green.

I used my silicone rectangle pan for the mold to make them the same size and easy to pop right out.  I put them in clear plastic bags and tied them with ribbon.  I printed out a label so who ever wins the basket will know what they are.

What you will need:
•    Toilet paper or paper towel tubes (or Silicone Mold)
•    Scissors (I didn't use)
•    Duct tape (I didn't use)
•    Wax paper (I used saran wrap)
•    Small bucket or disposable container to make the recipe
•    ¾ cup of warm water
•    1 ½ cups Plaster of Paris
•    2-3 tablespoons of tempera paint
•    Paper bag or a “mess mat”

ALEXIS NOTE ** Now I used my silicone mold with saran wrap instead of the toilet paper rolls with the wax paper.  It came out perfect and easy. **

Step 1: If you are using paper towel tubes, cut each tube in half, so it is roughly the length of a toilet paper roll tube.

Step 2: Cover one end of each tube with duct table to hold the contents within.

Step 3: Cut as many pieces of wax paper as you have tubes. Roughly 6 inches X 6 inches. Roll the wax paper loosely and insert into the tubes so as to effectively line the tubes. The top of the wax paper will be higher than the tubes. The wax paper liner will keep the chalk mixture from sticking to the cardboard tubes and will eventually be peeled off.

** Alexis Note My Step 1 - Step 3 was put saran wrap in my silicone mold **

Step 4: Pour the warm water into your bucket. Sprinkle the Plaster of Paris over the water and stir the mixture with a plastic spoon. The Plaster of Paris roughly starts hardening within 20-30 minutes, so you need to work fast so that it does not harden too quickly. ** Alexis note mine took a long time but still best to be prepared **

Step 5: Next you will want to pour the tempera paint into the Plaster of Paris mixture and stir so that it is mixed thoroughly. If you would like brighter colors  add more tempera paint into the mixture. 

I think they turned out pretty cool and will be using the rest of my Plaster of Paris this summer for the boys!  I think I have a few birthdays coming up that I will have to make them for also.

Enjoy, I think this is a fun craft to do with the kids and would be a awesome gift for any kid!