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Chalky Paint for Sensory Play

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Making chalk paint using cornflour or cornstarch for sensory play
I recently came across a terrific post about sidewalk chalk by ‘Growing A Jeweled Rose’ that was a liquid consistency! Who knew such a thing existed? Of course before I know it I’m in the kitchen whipping up myself some in different colours and heading down to the local school with hubby and Possum both bracing themselves for what was to come. So here I’m sharing with you chalky paint for sensory play. 
 
Making chalk paint using cornflour or cornstarch for sensory playMaking chalk paint using cornflour or cornstarch for sensory play


Recipe for making chalky paint for sensory play

  • 1/4 cup cornflour (or corn starch)
  • 2 tbsp water
  • 2 drops of food colouring
Mix it all together and you’ll find it becomes thick and chalk-like. If it doesn’t turn into a liquid form then add another tbsp or two of water and mix again. If you are making more than one colour then you might consider adding them to zip-lock bags and preparing it where you play to play. 
 
As you can tell, this recipe is so easy and would be great fun for the children to make themselves. It really involves doing some measuring and mixing, assessing the consistency and pouring of the liquid. 
Making chalk paint using cornflour or cornstarch for sensory play
 
I added the liquid to a large long container as it was my intention to have Possum stand in the oozy chalk paint and walk on the concrete surface, perfect for sensory exploration. Making up a variety of colours allowed me to talk to her about each colour that I was pouring and how they were mixing and swirling together. 
 
Making chalk paint using cornflour or cornstarch for sensory play
 
Here is my husband helping Possum dip her feet into the chalky paint. 🙂 
Making chalk paint using cornflour or cornstarch for sensory play


What does it feel like? 

Chalky paint that uses cornflour (cornstarch) makes the liquid thick when it experiences any friction. So if you were to run your finger through the liquid it would feel thick and hard to move, however, if you added your finger to the liquid slowly it would just feel like water. 

This makes it a great science activity for children. 

Making chalk paint using cornflour or cornstarch for sensory play

Possum wasn’t that excited about the idea of using her feel and so she chose to play with the chalky paint using her hands. Wonderful!


Important things to note 

The chalky paint leaves behind markings like chalk once it has dried. From our experience, it was still slightly visible after about a week but I’m sure a pressure washer would remove any traces very quickly. I also recommend not using too much food colouring as it will stain hands if too much is used. 🙂

The few drops of food colouring that I did add to the recipe looked sensational as it was a great to see the colours as they swirled and combined together in certain areas.

Would you like to play with chalk in liquid form? 

 

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Here are some other great chalk ideas found on Laughing Kids Learn

Header+Final HeaderChalkPowder MulticolouredChalk

Comments

  5. MJ says

    I made this recipe and froze it in a popsicle mold. the kids enjoyed it and i didnt have to worry about the inevitable taste test because it was cornstartch and water. 🙂

    Reply

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