Ice Chalk

Ice Chalk is the perfect kid activity for a hot summer day. Frozen chalk makes a great art, science, and sensory experience all in one.
Ice chalk


While I was looking for activities the kids and I could do outside this summer, I saw lots of recipes for homemade sidewalk chalk paint. I briefly considered making some and putting it in spray bottles, but I knew it would only be a matter of time before they squirted each other.

Since it's been so hot here, the logical alternative was to freeze the chalk paint and make it into ice chalk.

ice chalk


ice chalk

I mixed up the sidewalk paint (half cornstarch, half water, plenty of food coloring), poured it into ice cube trays, and froze it.

ice chalk

At first, the lighter colors didn't seem to be working. The pavement just looked wet, but when the water dried the colors were more vibrant.

ice chalk

It turned out to be even more fun than I thought it would be. Besides using the chalk to draw, they used it in lots of other ways:

3D sculptures:
ice chalk
Lainey's rainbow
Color melting races:
ice chalk

Stamps:
ice chalk

Prints:
ice chalk

Color mixing experiments:
ice chalk

The cornstarch makes it thick when it melts, so it's fun to experiment with.

ice chalk

We even snuck in a little science by discussing what caused the ice chalk to melt the fastest.

ice chalk

Play clothes are a must for this activity. Next time I'm going to try washable paint instead of food coloring to reduce the amount of staining on their hands and clothes.


But clean up was fun too.


 Update: We did a variation of these using washable paint in this post about frozen popsicle chalk.


And 6 other variations of ice chalk here:





Or sign up to have kid's crafts & activities delivered right to your inbox:



Image Map

33 comments:

  1. Dyan RobsonMay 18, 2013 at 11:45 AM

    Wow, so fun!

    ReplyDelete
  2. BeckyMay 18, 2013 at 11:54 AM

    Oh I love this super fun idea! I've made paint chalk before, but never thought of freezing it! Thanks for the idea :-)

    http://thisfineday.com/

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousMay 19, 2013 at 5:59 PM

    This looks like a lot of fun! I am going to add it to our summer bucket list!

    ReplyDelete
  4. UnknownMay 19, 2013 at 8:13 PM

    This is awesome. It never even occurred to me to freeze the chalk. I love this. We are definitely doing this. :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. UnknownMay 19, 2013 at 9:28 PM

    So fun Lorie!!! We will be trying this one for sure!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LorieMay 19, 2013 at 10:07 PM

      Thanks, Megan! It really was lots of fun.

      Delete
  6. nikisilvMay 19, 2013 at 9:33 PM

    Did it stain the sidewalk?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LorieMay 19, 2013 at 10:06 PM

      We only used it on our blacktop driveway and didn't have a problem. Not sure about sidewalks. I haven't heard about anyone having a problem with the regular chalk spray. Does anybody else know?

      Delete
  7. Kristen@CountryFitFamilyMay 22, 2013 at 5:35 AM

    That looks like so much fun! Great idea.

    I would love if you would come link up on our Artsy Play Wednesday linky.

    http://www.babygiveawaysgalore.com/2013/05/artsy-play-wednesday-kids-craft-linky_22.html

    ReplyDelete
  8. Sara Hickman designsMay 22, 2013 at 9:10 PM

    I make my littles sidewalk paint all the time. I add a few drops of liquid dish detergent to it so it washes off the sidewalk faster and stains them less. Without the dishsoap it took two washings to completely wash away.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Mom to 2 Posh Lil DivasMay 25, 2013 at 7:21 PM

    Thanks for sharing on the Sunday Showcase - linked to you as one of my featured posts this week :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Miranda @ Someday CraftsMay 26, 2013 at 12:57 AM

    Such a cool idea! And I love how you turned them into popsicles to make painting (and clean up) easier. So smart :) We'll be featuring this over at Someday Crafts tomorrow, so come take a look!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Sarahlee2012May 26, 2013 at 2:39 PM

    So, I think I missed it... does the paint work better than 'chalk'? If so, what kind of paint are you using, liquid tempera, do you think powdered tempera might mix better or not... (washable, of course) and I add dish soap to everything, lol..the new teachers look at me as if I've lost it, until that first 'wash-off' - then it's nirvana! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Sarahlee2012May 26, 2013 at 2:40 PM

    So, I think I missed it... does the paint work better than 'chalk'? If so, what kind of paint are you using, liquid tempera, do you think powdered tempera might mix better or not... (washable, of course) and I add dish soap to everything, lol..the new teachers look at me as if I've lost it, until that first 'wash-off' - then it's nirvana! :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LorieMay 26, 2013 at 8:04 PM

      The chalk paint looks the same as chalk when it's dry. It's just a different sensory experience to have it cold and melt into a liquid. For this batch I used food coloring and for the popsicle chalk I used washable liquid tempura. They worked the same as far as coloring the sidewalk went. The paint was easier to get off their hands though. I think the powdered would probably work fine, but I haven't tried it. I think the dish soap idea is awesome and I'm definitely adding it next time!

      Delete
  13. UnknownMay 28, 2013 at 3:56 PM

    Lorie,

    I love this craft and some of your others as well. If you're interested, I'd like to feature you on AllFreeKidsCrafts.com. Please contact me at jholtzman (at) primecp (dot) com to further discuss this opportunity.

    Best,

    Jaclyn
    Editor, AllFreeKidsCrafts.com

    ReplyDelete
  14. Ness @ One Perfect DayJune 1, 2013 at 12:50 AM

    We had lots of fun with chalk paint recently - never thought to freeze it. What a brilliant idea. I've featured this post on my Tuesday Tots post this week. Thanks for linking up. Feel free to stop by and grab a featured at button if you like! http://www.oneperfectdayblog.net/2013/05/28/outdoor-play-ideas-for-kids/

    ReplyDelete
  15. CarrieJune 14, 2013 at 9:27 AM

    What a fun twist!! I love it. Thank you for sharing on Sharing Saturday!!

    ReplyDelete
  16. ErinJune 18, 2013 at 12:09 AM

    I have never done this before first time seeing this could you please tell me how much of each thing to use to make it please? My girls would love doing this :) Thank you. Erin

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LorieJune 18, 2013 at 7:43 AM

      Erin, I think I used one cup of cornstarch and one cup of water. I didn't measure the food coloring but I used lots because it will get lighter as it freezes.

      Delete
    2. ErinJune 26, 2013 at 2:36 AM

      thank you so much :) I am going to try this with my girls I know they are going to have alot of fun :)

      Delete
  17. DahniJuly 8, 2013 at 4:02 AM

    Wonderful stuff! Can't wait to play with my grand kidlits! Thanks for sharing this! :)

    Love,

    Bopa (what they call me)

    ReplyDelete
  18. UnknownFebruary 21, 2014 at 8:49 PM

    I can't wait to try this!! I will post about it on my list with your link when I try it out with my kiddos! Thanks for the idea :)

    Catherine
    http://www.capturinginspirations.com

    ReplyDelete
  19. Bobbi @ 3GLOLApril 27, 2014 at 7:08 AM

    What a cool idea. And it looks awesome after it melts. Love it all melted together!

    Thanks for sharing!
    Pinning!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Starla J.April 27, 2014 at 6:09 PM

    Looks fun!

    ReplyDelete
  21. UnknownMay 27, 2014 at 10:15 AM

    You can make the food coloring paint washable by adding a few drops of dis detergent. I did this with my kids when they were small. Dish detergent made it super washable. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  22. UnknownJune 3, 2014 at 10:26 AM

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  23. AnonymousJune 5, 2014 at 9:53 PM

    This looks like wonderfully messy fun!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Lila2004June 16, 2014 at 6:45 AM

    I worry that putting it into popsicle form might encourage the kids to think about putting them in their mouths -- at least until they taste them. Was that a problem for you?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LorieJune 16, 2014 at 8:48 AM

      No, they had already played with the cubes so they knew it wasn't edible. If you use food coloring, cornstarch, and water, it would be safe if they tasted it. And I doubt they would taste them twice! :)

      Delete
  25. UnknownJuly 9, 2014 at 4:06 PM

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  26. أميرة سعدAugust 28, 2014 at 9:20 AM

    woooow i will try that thnx alot

    ReplyDelete

Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment!