Here's something I can't wait to make with my 17-month-old son. He loves to draw, and I'm sure he would be very excited to draw all over the ground outside with chalk. Older kids can make the chalk themselves, but my little guy will have to settle for just helping me tear the chalk out of the molds and decorating our sidewalks.

Ingredients:
- Plaster of Paris
- Water
- Food coloring or tempera paint (powdered tempera works best, but liquid is fine)

Molds:
- Paper cups
- Egg cartons
- Toilet paper tubes (taped closed on one end with duct tape)
- Use silicone ice cube trays, candy molds, or mini muffin pans to make chalk in different shapes.
(If you use molds that aren't flexible (like a metal muffin pan), line them first with wax paper or foil to help the chalk slide out more easily.)

Directions:
1. Mix equal parts plaster of paris and water.
2. Add powdered tempera paint, liquid tempera paint, or food coloring until you get the color you want.
3. Pour the plaster mixture into molds, and let harden.
(Don't pour any extra plaster down the drain. Let it dry and throw it away in the garbage.)
4. Peel away the mold and use your new chalk!

Fun Variations:
- Try swirling togther a few different colors of paint to make marbelized or rainbow chalk.
- Add a bit of glitter to the plaster mixture to make sparkly chalk.