Sidewalk Chalk Art Show Keeps Kids Happy This Summer

Kids are roaming the neighborhood looking for something new and exciting to do. They are bored with riding their bikes, tired of getting in and out of the pool, fed up with video games. What do you do to bring the joy of summer vacation back to their faces? Bring out the sidewalk chalk and host an art show!

Announce this art show to the neighbors and parents a few days before the event. Have the children create posters to hang around the area.

First you need to buy a few buckets of colorful sidewalk chalk, depending on the number of participating kids. Crayola would be a great choice in my opinion. "One thing that I've found so great about Crayola products is that they do live up their name," says Leigh Egan in her product review of Crayola's 52 Count Sidewalk Chalk Bucket. "What amazed me the most about the chalk is not the fact that it came with 52 sticks, but some of the shades of the colors. There are actually only 24 different colors (doubles on the black and white sticks) but Crayola offers light and dark grey, a pretty tan, violet, light purple, dark purple, pink, light pink, red, light red, yellow, lime green, regular green, brown, and the list goes on. For every primary color there is a lighter shade to go along with it." Look for this Crayola product in retail and craft stores.

You can also make your own chalk. Mara Bateman, in her Sidewalk Chalk recipe write-up , says that all you need is "cardboard toilet paper tube, wax paper, disposable empty container, Plaster of Paris, liquid tempera paint, water, and plastic spoons." Visit her article for complete instructions if you do choose to make your own.

Next, make sure you have a water hose that will reach the area, and have the children wear old clothes that parents won't mind them dirtying up with mainly chalk dust. Most importantly, have the art show later in the afternoon when concrete and roads are not steaming hot.

Show the children to their own concrete spaces. It's best if you keep the area in one location, such as in your driveway (if big enough), portion of sidewalk, or on a small, barely-trafficked cul-de-sac road that is blocked off for a few hours.

If you want to, you can rope off or draw squares that represent boundaries that the children must stay in so they don't get into another's space. Have the children share the chalk and draw whatever they want. You could also have a themed art show. With this, you can encourage the children to draw summer pieces, maybe what they like to do in the summer, their favorite vacation, and such as that.

Finally, at the pre-set hour, have the children put the chalk back into the buckets and stand/sit by their piece of art. Parents and neighbors can walk by each child's work and ask him/her questions and give them a pat on the back. If you have kids that like competition, you can always have the viewers vote and offer prizes for the best in show.

"Sidewalk chalk drawings, school art, and assignments encompass the method of inquiry" says H.J. Lacy in her educational philosophy article. So, even though your children are not in school, they are still learning and using their skills in a fun, creative summer activity.