I am so in love with this project. It was inspired by a trip to Walmart where I discovered chalk Easter eggs among the Easter display. As soon as I saw them I thought, “Hey, I could make those.”
I have seen people make their own sidewalk chalk using toilet paper rolls to form the shape and have always thought about making some. So when I saw those eggs I wondered if instead of log shapes I could use plastic Easter eggs to make egg-shaped chalk?
And that’s what I did.
Wouldn’t these be pretty in your little one’s Easter Basket instead of candy?
I will warn you, this project is messier than I anticipated. While it cleans up easily, I was glad I decided to make my eggs outside on the driveway one sunny afternoon. That way my messy splatter is just a pretty mess of chalk when it dried, and there was very little clean up.
Please remember while Plaster of Paris is a soft plaster, you don’t want to dump it down your sink. That is why I used disposable cups, sticks and spoons.
Materials:
- Plaster of Paris
- Vaseline
- Disposable cups
- Popsicle sticks / plastic spoon
- Water
- Paint or food coloring
Before you start, line your plastic eggs with a thin layer of Vaseline.
Mix 1/2 cup of Plaster of Paris with 1/3 a cup of water with a Popsicle stick in a disposable cup. As you mix, add you color.
Note about color – all of the “recipes” I read used Tempura paints (liquid or powdered). I didn’t have any, so I used what I had — Crayola Washable Paints. I also tested food coloring. Both worked great. I preferred the colors of the paints (plus paints didn’t stain my hands as I mixed), so I made most with paints. While I recommend paint as the first choice, food coloring is an equally viable option.
Stir quickly, until your mixture is the constancy of frosting. If you start to get a cake batter consistency add more water. I found that with the paints, I needed to add water sometimes because some of the paints were drying up. With the food coloring no more water was needed.
Once the Plaster of Paris is fully mixed scoop/pour it into your egg mold. While messy, I found it best to overfill slightly and then let it ooze out as I put the halves together. This method gave me the fullest eggs.
Set the eggs in an empty egg carton to dry.
Each batch of mixture should produce about 1½ eggs. So I made several eggs that here half of one color and half of another (double the fun).
Leave the eggs to dry for a few hours. Then gently pry your eggs apart. I think I left mine outside for about 3-4 hours.
If you peek too soon, the eggs will crumble – I peeked after about an hour and learned the hard way.
Once you open your eggs, put them back in the egg carton to fully set overnight.
You may need to wipe them down a little from the Vaseline, but not much unless you were heavy-handed.
The sidewalk chalk eggs draw great. Plus they don’t produce typical chalk dust – a big perk in my book!
Enjoy.
Laura says
These are great! They would be so much fun to add to a basket or to make with kids!
Jill says
Saw you on Buns in my Oven link party. These are so fun! I didn’t realize making sidewalk chalk was that simple. Love them all in the egg carton 🙂 Pinned!
Deonna at the Child at Heart blog says
Hey it’s Deonna from the Child at Heart blog. I LOVE this and would love for you to link up at our link party this week! I also have a super great spring necklace to give away so come on over 🙂
Anne says
We love sidewalk chalk, especially in the egg shape for my 18 month old to hold. I’m so doing this tomorrow! Thanks for sharing at the Mostly Homemade Mom link party.
Katie Drane says
Hi Jen! Just wanted to let you know I’m featuring this post is my Easter Round-up tomorrow! (If you would rather not be featured, no biggie. Just let me know.) Anyway, this is such a cute idea and I hope I can send a lot of traffic your way!
Have a great week,
Katie @FunHomeThings.com
Rebecca says
What a fun idea! My daughter loves chalk and would think it was so fun to make her own!
Robin P says
Just made these! We ended up with a few holes where the plaster didn’t fully fill the egg, but it still works great. My girls are already enjoying coloring with it. I plan to make for gifts!
Cathy says
Saw your post at the C.R.A.F.T party! I had to stop by since your photo really caught my eye!
This sidewalk chalk is simply ADORABLE! Seriously, I’m pinning this for my nieces and nephews!!
Anyway, I’m so glad I found your blog–I’m following you now, and I look forward to your new posts! 🙂
Would love it if you stopped by our Facebook page and said “hi!”
https://www.facebook.com/OurMiniFamily
~Cathy~
OurMiniFamily.com
kymi a says
Such a great idea for the kids to do on Easter, they will have alot of fun making their own chalk. Thank you for sharing and Happy Easter .
Charndra Pile says
What you need to add is that the egg shape is greet for developing fine motor strength – the full handed grip needed develops the muscles of the hands to improve children’s fine motor skills.
I’ve been using egg chalk for years, another thing I do is actually dip them in food colouring, or pour it on the top of them for more intense colours. The kids love it.
jen says
That’s a great fact!!! I really had no idea it was good for fine motor strength, although it makes sense now that you mentioned it. I just know my kids think they are so fun! 🙂