Where the Sidewalk Ends, The Painting Begins

As per usual we are having some up and down weather days in the last few days of winter. I adore being outside and hate being cooped up in the winter so any inkling of having weather that is close to being nice for playing in the fresh air it's on with our coats and out of the door. And one of my favorite things to do outside, aside from running around and free playing, is big, messy art projects that would cause Aiden's Dad to have a miniature heart attack if he saw the mess that we made if we did it indoors.

Earlier this week we had one of those days, those glorious sun-filled, warm but not too warm, perfect for playing outside days. So after lunch, which I must admit we rushed through so we could get as much good weather as possible, we threw on our coats and shoes and headed to the backyard.

I'd recently read about an art project that I was dying to try - sidewalk chalk painting - so I gathered our supplies and setup our painting project while Aiden puttered around in the sandbox.

Here's the recipe:
1 part cornstarch
11/2 parts water
Food colouring

Mix ingredients together in a paint tray or muffin tin. Arm your little person with a brush and have them paint to their hearts content.

This was a huge success and one that we will definitely do again. We had a blast painting the sidewalk, our hands, our clothes and some rocks that we found in the parking lot. While we painted we talked about our paintings, and sang songs about the colours we were using and the new colours we were making. I didn't keep track of time but I'd say this kept us busy for at least 30-45 minutes. Not bad for a one nap kind of day.

Happy sidewalk painting,
Creatively yours,
Maya :)