Wednesday, May 08, 2013

Coloring a Chalk Rainbow

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As I mentioned in the DIY outdoor roads post, we have an enormous pile of paving stones.  And they make an excellent canvas for coloring with sidewalk chalk.  

Well, I had an idea.  A brilliant idea.  So brilliant that J played with it all day long and, unfortunately, he has a sunburn to prove it too.  Since this activity was a huge success, be prepared for a photo overload.

Coloring a chalk rainbow from And Next Comes L

There ended up being two parts to this activity.  Part one involved making and coloring the rainbow, while part two involved a little water play.

To make the rainbow, I started lining up the paving stones into a rainbow shape.

Blank paving stones for coloring a chalk rainbow from And Next Comes L

Of course, the boys had to help move some of the stones too.

Toddler building a giant rainbow from And Next Comes L

Then it was time to color!

Coloring a chalk rainbow from And Next Comes L

Brothers coloring paving stones with chalk to make a giant chalk rainbow from And Next Comes L

J did most of the coloring.

Coloring a giant chalk rainbow from And Next Comes L

Coloring a giant chalk rainbow from And Next Comes L

Coloring a giant chalk rainbow from And Next Comes L

K helped out too...in the way toddlers do best.

Sibling play: coloring a giant chalk rainbow together from And Next Comes L

Sibling play: coloring a giant chalk rainbow together from And Next Comes L

After all that coloring, the rainbow was complete and it turned out gorgeous!

Giant chalk rainbow from And Next Comes L

Close up of giant chalk rainbow from And Next Comes L

And now it was a perfect time for the boys to walk on a rainbow.  How many of you can say you've done that?!  We also took the time to sing our favorite rainbow song, "Colors of the Rainbow" from Signing Time as they walked across the different colors.

Naming the colors of the rainbow with a giant chalk rainbow from And Next Comes L

Naming the colors of the rainbow with a giant chalk rainbow from And Next Comes L

Then after lunch, while K was napping, J and I went back outside with a large bucket of water and some recycled plastic cups.  J started dumping some water on the different paving stones, trying to cover the entire rainbow.  It was really warm out on this particular day so the water evaporated quite quickly.  So he kept repeating it over and over for nearly an hour.  Yes, you read that right.  An hour!

Water play for kids using a giant chalk rainbow from And Next Comes L

Water play for kids using a giant chalk rainbow from And Next Comes L

Water play for kids using a giant chalk rainbow from And Next Comes L

Water play for kids using a giant chalk rainbow from And Next Comes L

I love this picture below.  J's comparing his footprint to the wet one on the paving stone.

Water play for kids using a giant chalk rainbow from And Next Comes L

See, play doesn't always have to involve fancy toys or require spending a lot of money.  We just used a few simple materials that we already had on hand and it turned out more wonderful than I could have imagined.

Looking for more fun chalk ideas for kids?  Be sure to browse my Chalk Fun board on Pinterest.

Coloring a chalk rainbow and a water play suggestion from And Next Comes L

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