Ideas for creative sidewalk art and games for Sunday summer activities, summer camps, or just to beat boredom. We also include instructions here on how to make your own sidewalk chalk on a rainy summer day.
This article is from a Forum magazine issue.
Making Chalk for the Street
- 2–3 kg of gypsum powder
- Modeling plaster or white plaster
- Plastic cup, approx. 1 dl
- Water
- Poster paints
- Wooden sticks for stirring
- Disposable plastic gloves
Fill the cup halfway with colored water, then fill the rest with plaster. As the plaster begins to set, the children can feel the cup getting warmer and warmer.
Important:
Do not pour any leftover plaster or plaster water into the mold.
Jumping Snail Shell
Two or more players.
First, draw a snail shell with squares large enough to stand in.
The first player hops on one leg to the center of the snail shell. There, they can rest briefly on both legs. Then they hop back through all the squares. After a flawless run, they mark any square with chalk. Any player who lands on one of these squares must switch the leg they’re hopping on. Then it’s the next player’s turn.
Anyone who steps on a chalk line or forgets to switch hopping legs on a marked square is eliminated but continues playing in the next round.
Anyone who steps on a chalk line or forgets to switch hopping legs on a marked square is eliminated and continues playing in the next round.
The first player hops on one leg to the center of the snail shell. There, they can rest briefly on both legs. Then they hop back through all the squares. After a flawless run, they mark any square with chalk. Any player who lands on one of these squares must switch the leg they’re hopping on. Then it’s the next player’s turn.
Aim and Hit
- 2 or more players
- 5 stones per player
Draw a square, about the size of a shoebox, as the target on a wall. Then take three big steps back and mark the throwing line. Each player marks their stones with a different color of chalk.
The players take turns aiming one of their stones at the square until all stones have been thrown. Then the flicking begins: The first player may flick one of their stones—which is still outside the square—into the target using their thumb and a curved index finger. If they hit the target and the stone remains inside the square, they may continue flicking. If a stone lands next to the square, it’s the next player’s turn.
The first player to get all their stones into the target area is the winner.
Shadow Art
When the sun is shining outside, you can draw your shadow on the sidewalk. Ask a friend to trace the outline of your shadow. Then you can color it in.
Tip: Play the guessing game “Who Am I?” in your church or at camp.
Cheese Box
2 or more players
This game is for clever players.
On a patch of asphalt, use chalk to draw as many dots as you like in a random pattern. Now, each player takes a piece of chalk in a different color. The goal of the game is to connect the dots to form triangles. Only one line may be drawn at a time. Whoever completes a triangle marks it with the first letter of their name. That player may then draw one more line. The game ends when all the dots are connected. The winner is the player with the most triangles.
Rampage - Wall In
4 or more players
To create the “prison,” draw a large circle with a diameter of about 2 meters.
Half of the players are “trapped” inside the prison. The other players outside the circle are the guards. They make sure the prisoners don’t escape. Meanwhile, the prisoners try to slip through a gap.
If someone manages to break out, they can help the prisoners from the outside. The game ends when all the prisoners have been freed. Then the roles are switched.
More games with sidewalk chalk:
- Nine Men’s Morris
- Target throwing against a wall
- Maze
References
- Content and image: Forum Kind, Issue 2/03, page 23. In addition to a recipe for sidewalk chalk, the article includes many simple games. © Copyright www.forum-kind.ch
- Author: Tina Büchi, Chur
