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Sidewalk Chalk Art Supplies I Use to Host a Neighborhood Kids Contest
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items Throwing a sidewalk chalk contest sounds simple until you realize dollar store chalk snaps in half, nobody has enough colors, and the driveway looks faded before judging even starts. I host one every summer for about 15 kids and it took me three year...
Sections
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Chalk That Actually Shows Up on Concrete
Marking Off Each Kid's Square
Spray and Seal So Art Lasts Through Judging
Stencils and Templates for Younger Artists
Prizes That Make Every Kid Feel Like a Winner
Keeping Everyone Fed and Hydrated Outside
Chalk That Actually Shows Up on Concrete
The first year I bought cheap chalk and the kids were pressing so hard their fingers hurt. Switched to these and the color payoff is night and day, even on rough asphalt.
Grab this if you have more than five kids showing up. Sixty-four sticks means nobody fights over pink, and the colors actually pop on dark driveways. Washes off with one rainstorm.
Crayola, Sidewalk Chalk, Washable, 48 Colors, Assorted
Keep a backup bucket of these for the kids who grind chalk down to nubs in ten minutes. Solid pigment for the price, and they hold up better than I expected on bumpy concrete.
Cra-Z-Art, Sidewalk Chalk, Washable, Multicolor, 32 Count
Use these for the little kids whose hands can't grip skinny sticks. My neighbor's three-year-old went from frustrated to grinning the second I handed her one of these fat ones.
Play Day Jumbo Multicolor Sidewalk Chalk, 10 Count
Try these with older kids who want bolder lines. One girl used them for outlines last summer and her square looked like a mural. Stock up before summer hits, they sell out fast in June.
Crayola, Sidewalk Chalk, Washable, 48 Colors, Assorted
Marking Off Each Kid's Square
Nobody wants a turf war over driveway space. I learned this the hard way when two kids drew over each other's work and both ended up crying.
Tear off strips to border each square and it peels up clean when you're done. I tried regular masking tape once and spent twenty minutes scraping residue off the driveway.
Duck Clean Release 1.41 in. x 60 yd. Blue Painter's Tape
Snap straight lines across a big driveway in seconds. If you're laying out more than eight squares, doing it by hand with tape alone will eat up your whole morning.
Keson Industries G100 100 Ft. Chalk Line Reel
Write each kid's name on the tape border so judging is easy. Pencil on tape is invisible from five feet away. Learned that one the embarrassing way when I couldn't read my own labels.
BAZIC Permanent Marker Jumbo Chisel Tip 8mm Black
Use this to lightly sketch grid lines before taping. It marks concrete just enough to see but washes right off. Way easier than eyeballing squares and ending up with weird trapezoids.
Keson Carpenters Pencils (12 per Box)
Spray and Seal So Art Lasts Through Judging
Wind and foot traffic smudge chalk faster than you'd think. The first year, half the drawings were blurry by the time we voted.
Give each finished square a light coat and the chalk stays vivid for hours. One dad walked right across a sealed square in flip-flops and it barely smudged. Without it, you're racing the clock.
Krylon Matte Finish Spray Coating, Matte, Clear, 11 oz
Pair this with the Crayola chalk and the colors stay true. I sprayed one half of a test square and left the other bare. Two hours later the difference was obvious.
Crayola, Sidewalk Chalk, Washable, 48 Colors, Assorted
Fill with water so kids can lightly mist their chalk for blending. My daughter figured this out on YouTube and suddenly her sunset looked like a real painting. Simple trick, huge results.
Tolco Empty Spray Bottle 8 oz. Frosted Assorted Colors
Keep a bigger bottle of plain water nearby for cleanup and hand-washing. Fifteen kids with chalk dust on their hands will touch every door handle in your house if you don't catch them first.
HDX 32oz. Empty Spray Bottle V2
Stencils and Templates for Younger Artists
Little kids want to participate but get frustrated when their dog looks like a blob. Stencils give them a win without taking away the fun.
Hand these to any kid under six and watch their confidence skyrocket. My nephew traced a dinosaur, colored it in, and told everyone he drew it freehand. Nobody corrected him.
Melissa & Doug Created by Me! Stencil Art Kit in Storage
Older kids use these for borders and patterns around their main drawing. One kid made a mandala frame and it honestly looked like something you'd see at an art fair.
Vosarea 12Pcs Durable Plastic Stencils for Geometric
Perfect for suns, planets, eyeballs, pizza. Circles are surprisingly hard to draw freehand on concrete. This little template saves a lot of erasing and re-drawing.
Westcott Circles Template
Toss these in for kids who want to add their name or a title to their square. Foam is thick enough to trace on bumpy concrete without the stencil sliding around.
20 Letter Stencils, Alphabet Number Stencils
Prizes That Make Every Kid Feel Like a Winner
You need enough prize categories that nobody walks away empty-handed. ‘Most Colorful’ and ‘Funniest Drawing’ save you from picking one winner and crushing fourteen other kids.
Grab a pack and write custom categories on each one. ‘Best Use of Purple’ and ‘Most Creative Animal’ go a long way. Every kid walks home with a ribbon pinned to their shirt.
Award Ribbons in Bulk
Use this as the grand prize and every kid loses their mind. Something about a massive crayon box still hits different, even for the ten-year-olds who pretend they're too cool.
Crayola, Crayons, 24 Count, Classic Colors for Kids
Swap this in for runner-up prizes. Costs almost nothing per kid and even the teenagers sneak a container when they think nobody's watching. Solid backup if ribbon categories run out.
Play-Doh Bulk Winter Colors 12-Pack 4-Ounce Cans
Toss one to every participant as a thank-you. Kids love tiny things for no logical reason. My daughter still has hers in her backpack from last summer's contest.
Mini Notebooks Bulk Packs for Office
Keeping Everyone Fed and Hydrated Outside
Chalk art takes longer than you expect. By hour two, kids are hangry and parents start checking their watches. Snacks buy you another solid hour of creativity.
Keep a cooler full of these on the porch. Every kid grabs one without asking, which is exactly what you want. No cups, no spills, no sticky lemonade puddles on someone's artwork.
Capri Sun, Flavored Juice Drink, 10 Pouches
Toss a bag to any kid who wanders over looking hungry. Clean fingers are the priority here since cheese dust on chalk art is a real hazard. Napkins are your friend.
Goldfish Cheddar Cheese Crackers, Snack Packs, 1 oz
For the younger crowd who need fuel but can't be trusted with anything crumbly near wet chalk. Squeeze pouches are basically mess-proof. Basically.
Gogo Squeez Applesauce Banana Pouches 3.2 oz
Fill a few with water for hand-rinsing between colors. Way cheaper than wasting paper towels, and kids actually use them. I set out a bucket and a stack and it works every time.
Dixie Disposable Paper Bath Cups, 3 oz
Sun and Weather Protection for a Long Contest
Last year I forgot sunscreen and three kids went home looking like tomatoes. Their parents were not thrilled with me.
Spray every kid down before they start. It takes thirty seconds and saves you from angry parent texts later. The spray format means you're not touching fifteen kids' faces with your hands.
Banana Boat Sport Ultra Sunscreen Spray Twin Pack
Set this up over the judging table or snack station. Kids rotate into the shade between drawing sessions. Folds down small enough to fit in your garage without taking up a parking spot.
Customer reviews for Coleman 13x13ft Instant Canopy Sun
Pass this around when it gets hot. Kids treat it like a toy, which means they actually use it. Beats arguing with a nine-year-old about taking a water break.
O2COOL Deluxe Handheld Misting Fan Battery Powered
Wet one of these and drape it on any kid who looks overheated. My son thought it was magic the first time. Works for about two hours before you need to re-soak it.
Frogg Toggs Chilly Pad Sport Cooling Towel
Cleanup Supplies So Your Driveway Recovers
The contest ends and suddenly your driveway looks like a rainbow exploded. These make the cleanup painless instead of a weekend project.
Point this at your driveway and chalk disappears in one pass. I used to scrub with a broom and hose for forty minutes. Now it takes ten. Worth every penny if you host more than once.
Sun Joe SPX3000-41 Pressure Washer Lance/Spray Wand
Roll one out to the driveway for chalk nubs, tape, juice pouches, and snack wrappers. If you don't, you'll find goldfish cracker bags in your flower bed for a week.
Rubbermaid Brute 32-Gallon Trash Can with Lid, Grey
Sweep up chalk dust and debris before you hose down. Skipping this step just turns everything into a colorful paste that's harder to remove. Five minutes of sweeping saves you thirty of scrubbing.
Quickie Bulldozer Push Broom - 24 In. Rough Sweep
Keep a roll outside for wiping down chairs, tables, and sticky hands during final cleanup. Paper towels disintegrate when wet. These hold up through the whole mess and then some.
Scott, Shop Towels Original, Blue, 55 Towels per Roll