Chalk Learning Targets and Chalk Link Party

The other day I bought my two and four year olds some big spray bottles from Walmart's garden section (they're as entertaining as squirt guns with less need to refill constantly).  Once we got home, the four year old instantly starting torturing his sister.  I started pointing out alternatives to aiming the stream of water at his sister's face like trees and rocks, etc. and then it hit me (an idea, not the water). 

I drew some chalk targets on our gate for him to spray off.  I put some letters he knew, some he didn't know, and some shapes so the two year old could play too.

I'd tell him a shape or letter to squirt at and he'd squirt it until he'd washed it off.

And if you're looking for a great book about chalk, I highly recommend Chalk by Bill Thomson.  It's a wordless picture book with beautiful mixed media illustrations showing three friends in the park on a rainy day.  They find a bag of chalk and the first friend draws a sun.  The sun comes out!  The second friend draws some butterflies and the butterflies magically appear.  The third friend draws a dinosaur and it, too, comes to life!  Unfortunately. the dinosaur is big and scary and wants to chase them so they come up with a very clever solution. 

There are so many fun ways to use chalk!  Got a great post about it?  Please link it up and check out all the other ways these creative people have used chalk!


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