Sidewalk Chalk

The weather has been pretty hot lately, so I make it a rule to get the girls outside every morning while it's still bearable. This week's art project involved playing with sidewalk chalk. This activity isn't new to the girls, but to make it a little more interesting we brought out a small tub of water and a handful of paintbrushes as well. First I had the girls draw with chalk as they always do. Elliot scribbled and Rebecca tried to draw recognizable objects in an unrecognizable fashion. Next I set the tub of water out and encouraged the girls to dip their chalk in the water prior to coloring with it. The result was very exciting as the colors appeared brighter and smoother. Finally we dipped paintbrushes in water and used them to blend the chalk lines we had previously put down on the concrete. The brushstrokes transformed the chalk strokes so that they looked almost like tempera paint rather than dry chalk. Even I had fun playing with this technique!