Daily At-Home Project: Sidewalk Chalk Recipe for #ChalkChallenge

by | May 18, 2020 | At-Home Enrichment | 0 comments

Please find below our daily SolBe Family update letter containing helpful resources and exciting projects to explore while we all do our part to stay home during this pandemic. Subscribe here to receive daily updates.

May 18, 2020

SolBe Families,

Happy Monday! Tomorrow, we will be sending out information to you on the #chalkchallenge, why it is important to our community, and how to participate. Spoiler alert…it involves chalk!

In preparation for your participation, please find a recipe to make your very own chalk at home. Be advised: This project is messy and takes a minimum of 12 hours to dry.

Project of the Day: Make your own chalk!

Materials

  • 1 cup Plaster of Paris (per chalk color)…this was not something I had on hand or that is sold at any good ole CVS or grocery store. I was able to find some at the hardware store (though it costs $8.99, which is enough to buy a lotttt of chalk)
  • 3/4 cup of Water (per color)
  • Container or mold for Chalk (I used a muffin tin)
  • 1/4 cup Tempura Paint or Food Coloring (again…per color)

Step One

Lay out all of your materials. Get ready for a bit of a mess!

Step Two

Mix 1/4 cup of paint into 3/4 cup of water. Bowls were a mistake! If I were to try again, I would mix right into the ziplock, or in a cup! I found that tempera paint works better than food coloring. If you do use food coloring, you will need to add a little extra Plaster of Paris in the next step to make the consistency less liquidy. Repeat with any colors you would like to try.

Step Three

I poured the paint/water mixtures into ziplock bags and added one cup Plaster of Paris into the bag. Now the fun part for the kiddos…MIX MIX MIX!

 

Step Four

I snipped a tiny corner of the ziplock off to pour into my muffin tins (I didn’t have a mold alternative). Silicon molds in fun star or heart shapes will work even better!

Let these dry for 12-24 hours and you will be ready for the #ChalkChallenge!

Updates and additional tips coming your way once these babies have ample time to set. Worst case: we try again and learn from our mistakes…what a good lesson!

Most important direction, as always: HAVE FUN!  

More resources to follow in the coming days. Feedback and more ideas welcome! 

Above all, be well and stay healthy!

The SolBe Team


Be Supported

We’ve felt the uncertainty that occurs when our children are in the care of someone else. At SolBe, we know you will always be your child’s first teacher; we’re here as a knowledgeable partner in your child’s education.

From our experience, children rise to the intellectual life of those around them, so we are committed to growing as individuals and as a team. You can count on us to provide a warm and engaging learning experience for your little one.

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Our award-winning, inventive and uplifting learning spaces stimulate the senses and instill feelings of home-like safety and comfort. They allow for your child’s, and our educators’, changing needs and emotions. They create room for wonder—for learning, and living, outside the lines.

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We’ve seen what’s lost when things are done the way they’ve always been done before. SolBe is an adaptive Spanish exposure program that refuses to accept the status quo.

Our inventive practices grow from the shoulders of giants, with roots in the Reggio Emilia approach, the Montessori method, and well-researched cognitive disciplines that attend to the whole child. We create opportunities to develop character attributes that your child will benefit from for a lifetime. Collaboration. Communication. Independence. Healthy risk-taking. Critical thinking. Emotional awareness. Resilience. Intellectual curiosity. Creative innovation. An authentic love of life and learning.

Be Well

We know what it’s like to forget to feed ourselves—physically, mentally, and emotionally. At SolBe, we understand it’s impossible for you to pour from an empty cup. And we do what we can to keep your cup full.

Our learning ecosystem is designed with children and educators—and you—in mind. Seed-to-table nutrition program. Yoga and mindfulness. An all-inclusive experience so you don’t need to worry about finding time to provide meals, diapers, or wipes (unless you want to). Evening and weekend family programs.