Homemade Sidewalk Chalk

1. Find a mold for your sidewalk chalk.  Anything from a toilet tissue roll or small paper cup to fancy candy molds will work.
2. Mix together 1 cup of Plaster of Paris with ¾ cup of water.
3. Add color to your mixture using powdered tempera paint.
4. Blend well and let stand for a few minutes.
5. Pour your mixture into the molds you choose.
6. Set aside to dry for approximately 24 hours more.
7. Take your chalk outside and create fun masterpieces!

Tips:

1. Powdered tempera paint is available at most large craft stores.
2. Experiment with making swirled colors by adding the paint and stirring very little.
3. Drying time can take from several hours to a few days depending on the size of the mold you chose.

What You Need:

• A Mold
• 1 cup Plaster of Paris
• ¾ cup Water
• Medium Sized Bowl
• Powdered Tempera Paint

Homemade Play Giant Bubbles

½ cup liquid Joy dish detergent

3 tsp. liquid glycerin

1 qt. jar with lid (mayonnaise jar works well)

Water

2 straws

1 yd. string

Put Joy and glycerin in quart jar.  Fill jar with water.  Put lid on jar and shake gently to mix.  Pour mixture into a shallow plastic dish pan.  The glycerin makes the bubbles stronger and iridescent. 

Homemade Ice Cream

What You’ll Need:

• 1 tablespoon sugar
• ½ cup milk or half & half
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla
• 6 tablespoons rock salt
• 1 pint-size plastic food storage bad (e.g., Ziploc)
• 1 gallon-size plastic food storage bag
• Ice cubes

How to make it:

1. Fill the large bag half full of ice, and add the rock salt.  Seal the bag.
2. Put milk, vanilla, and sugar into the small bag, and seal it.
3. Place the small bag inside the large one, and seal it again carefully.
4. Shake until the mixture is ice cream, which takes about 5 minutes.
5. Wipe off the top of the small bag, then open it carefully. Enjoy!

Tips:

A ½ cup milk will make about 1 scoop of ice cream, so double the recipe if you want more.  But don’t increase the proportions more than that—a large amount might be too big for kids to pick-up because the ice itself is heavy.