Sidewalk Chalk DIY... A Summer Favorite Made Even Better

Author:: Mary Wassner
Updated:: Nov 14, 2017
Original:: Jun 13, 2017

Chalk! Kids young and old love brightening up the sidewalks with this messy and imaginative summer staple, and now you can make it even better with this deliciously exciting DIY craft!

Ice cream anyone?

When I think of summer-time fun, two things come to mind: the ice-cream truck and sidewalk chalk!

It's a perfect pastime in the warmer months because it's fun, creative, a little messy. Plus, it entertains the kids when they are not in the pool or running through the sprinkler. Let's just say it's definitely high on the list in my family! And this is a perfect way to spend time with Dad this Father's Day. Bring it to the park or BBQ and you'll see all the kids eye's just light-up!

Every summer I buy the kids a large bucket of sidewalk chalk. It lives under my stroller and comes out almost daily. As soon as it gets pulled out, all the kids at the park come running over to join in on the fun. It's just one of those staple summer pastimes.

But this year I wanted to try making it ourselves. My daughter just loves adding scents to everything from PlayDoh to slime, so I thought it'd be cool to make sidewalk chalk that looks and smells just like her favorite ice creams!

They are so cute and fun to use! Check out how we made this adorable DIY Ice Cream Sidewalk Chalk.

What you'll need:

Plaster of paris
Ice Cream Shaped Mold (we used actual ice pop making molds!)
Tempera Paint
Chocolate, Vanilla & Strawberry Scents
Glitter (optional)

First, you'll need to lay out a few small bowls and make the individual colors.

*Note, you'll want to do this one at a time otherwise the mixtures will start to harden. Or if layering colors you'll want to move quickly.

If you are layering the colors then you'll need to make this mixture a little thick so that it won't blend together easily. But we had the best results when we did a fairly liquidy mixture. Be warned: plaster-of-paris has a mind of its own and will wait for no one!

Here is the ratio:

Mix a 1/2 Cup of Water with 3/4 Cup Plaster

Then add in your tempera paint for color. I liked having variations in the color for a more authentic looking ice cream! But for a more even mix, you can add the water and paint color together before adding the plaster.

We then added our ice cream scents: chocolate, vanilla and strawberry. Our purple mixture was a mix of all the scents and it actually smelled amazing!

I like the scent to be very strong, so we added about 15 drops. Do this based on how strong or light you prefer the scent to be.

Be creative with the colors! You can have the little ones make realistic colors or go crazy experimenting! There is no right or wrong to this. I loved making some that look like how they smell and others that are a bit wacky. It makes this craft so much more fun to play with when it's whimsical, so let loose and enjoy creating your own ice cream colors. You can also add a bit of glitter for fun! We added red glitter to the strawberry mixture to make it look like actual strawberry pieces.

Once you have made the mixtures you'll want to add them quickly to the mold before the plaster sets up or gets hard. If it dries out before you use them, it's okay. Just start a fresh batch right away. If layering colors, you'll want to do so quickly so that they become one piece and solidify.

*Note, we also added some of the mixture to the cone base as well. It may leak and ooze out a bit when you put the two pieces of the mold together, but just wipe off with a damp cloth and leave to harden overnight.

The final product is amazing!

Just be careful removing the ice cream chalk from the mold as it can be a little hard to remove and you won't want to break them.

Check out how we had fun with Dad at our recent trip to the park. He loved seeing what the kids would create, and I loved watching all of them bond and make memories. Sometimes it's the simple things in life that bring the most pleasure.