This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Tom’s of Maine. All opinions are 100% mine.
It’s always fun to make an easy project that the kiddos can help out with. This awesome homemade sidewalk chalk is fun, nontoxic, and it even uses an upcycled container to make it less messy to draw with. You can customize the colors however you like. It’s a cute crafty project that keeps being fun even once you’re finished!
You have to love a project that takes only 5 minutes of hands on time. And the result will give you hours of drawing fun. As a kid I used to spend forever in the driveway coloring away with sidewalk chalk. I only wish I had been able to make the chalk myself, because it would have made my creations twice as personal. That’s why I knew this would be a perfect kid-friendly craft.
I’m a huge proponent of going green- I write about green cleaning all the time. I love having an opportunity to reuse containers I have finished with, because I’m always trying to reduce waste. That’s why I couldn’t be more excited to be partnering with Tom’s of Maine during Earth Month to bring this awesome upcycling project to you as part of the #LessWasteChallenge!
I’ve been a fan of Tom’s of Maine for a long time. I love their natural personal care products. I’ve even written about their awesome deodorants before. All Tom’s of Maine products are made without artificial colors, flavors, fragrances or preservatives. Even better, they’re not tested on animals. These are all things I look for when I’m shopping for personal care products.
You can get Tom’s of Maine Products at Target. They even have some awesome Target exclusives, like the fragrance free bar soap for sensitive skin that I got.
And what’s super exciting is that Tom’s of Maine is working even harder to make their products environmentally friendly and sustainable. Tom’s of Maine is committed to reducing waste caused by their products. All their packaging is recyclable through TerraCycle- a company that recycles things that aren’t usually recycled. Visit Toms of Maine’s website for more information.
I’m taking the #LessWasteChallenge to reduce 1 pound of waste a week- and you should too! That’s why I made this awesome upcycling project to help me reuse old containers instead of throwing them away. What will you do for your #LessWasteChallenge? Make sure to share your creative ideas using the hashtag so everyone can be inspired by your awesome ideas!
Here’s my awesome project that I came up with to reuse old containers and reduce waste:
homemade sidewalk chalk Ingredients and supplies:
- Tom’s of Maine Deodorant Container
- 2-3 teaspoons tempera paint
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 cup Plaster of Paris
- Spatula
- Mixing bowl
Step One: Clean out deodorant container
The first thing to do is clean out any remaining deodorant from your deodorant container. If you twist the container up all the way, you can remove the plastic deodorant holder and scrape and wash all the leftover deodorant out of there. I was able to do this using a small knife and a scrub brush and dish soap.
You’ll want to leave the deodorant “residue” in the rest of the container to keep the sides slick.
Then just replace the now-empty plastic deodorant holder, and twist it down to the bottom of the container.
Step Two: Mix ingredients
Now it’s time to actually make the chalk! You’ll want to mix 2-3 teaspoons of tempera paint with 1/4 cup of water. Then stir in 1/2 cup of plaster of paris.
The amount of paint you use will depend on how dark you want your chalk colors to be. Lighter chalk is great for writing on dark surfaces like a black chalkboard, and darker colors are great for lighter sidewalks. I mixed blue and red paint to make a darker purple color. Stir until all the ingredients are well combined.
I told you it was easy!
Step Three: Add to container
Once your homemade sidewalk chalk ingredients are mixed, use your spatula to add the mixture to the deodorant container. You can push down as you add it to make sure you don’t leave too many air holes in the container.
Step Four: Let dry and draw!
All you have left to do now is set your chalk aside to dry. You’ll want to leave it for at least 12 hours to be completely dry before use.
And then go ahead and start drawing!
As your chalk runs out, simply twist some more up in your deodorant container for fun and less messy drawing. If your chalk is being a little resistant to twisting, you can use a butter knife around the edges to loosen it up a little.
I love that I was able to reuse my old deodorant container this way. I never know what to do with finished personal care product packaging (try saying that 5 times fast). I hate throwing them out. So lucky my DIY-ing made it easy to upcycle and repurpose this deodorant container.
It’s so fun to draw with too!
It was so much fun to mix my own chalk colors. I find that most sidewalk chalk is lighter, but I don’t have a dark driveway, just light concrete sidewalks. So the darker color of the chalk really pops on the concrete. Plus I’m just a sucker for purple.
Who would have thought that this homemade sidewalk chalk was in a reused deodorant container?
I can’t wait to see what other upcycling projects I come up with as part of the #LessWasteChallenge. My mind is already churning and thinking of ideas.
Good luck making your own homemade sidewalk chalk, and have fun creating less waste!
Don’t forget to check out the Cartwheel offer on Tom’s of Maine products at Target.
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