Sidewalk Chalk master piece - Masking tape sidewalk chalk art

Ever since the stay at home order was issued my life has changed, just like a lot of other families. I have to help my elementary aged kids complete and turn in their school work. I need to come up with a constant supply of snacks and food choices. I need to help them with art and craft activities. I need to remember all their crazy meeting/online class schedules. I need to clean and clean some more. I have to tend to more dirty dishes and laundry (2 girls means more dress changes even while staying home) everyday.  I need to multitask times two.

But, I am so loving this time we are getting to spend together. The countless hugs and kisses that I've been getting, compensates for all the mess my little munchkins leave around. We as a family are getting to know and understand each other better. We are learning to resolve conflicts peacefully and work together with limited resources. We are appreciating each others strengths and motivating each other to do better. Every day, I am learning from my children to be a better version of myself.

I read an online article that talks about children also being super heroes during this pandemic. It rang a bell. Children usually need to run around, they need to socialize, they need a variety of activities and avenues to express their creativity. They absolutely don't like living in a lock down and they don't enjoy being confined or living by rules . I constantly hear fellow parents (including myself) complain about how hard it is to do their jobs and manage children at home. I think we should all pause and try to understand, that it is equally hard (or maybe even more) for our kids. This realization has made me more patient and understanding to my kids.

I have high energy kids who want to run around and jump around at all times, where as I am ready to hit the sack. I have been trying to come up with fun projects to keep them busy and occupied.We do regular movement breaks throughout the day. We do board games, listen to music, play pretend and dress up. We have been going for regular walks/bike rides (weather permitting) in the evenings. This helps to burn off the tremendous amount of energy that my children possess. We also do compulsory outdoor play time.

During one of our walks I noticed sidewalk chalk art in front of a friends house. It looked pretty cool and she mentioned that they used masking tape for it. We have used masking tape to make canvas paintings before. So my kids loved the idea and immediately got to work. The pictures are quite self explanatory.

Materials Needed:
Masking tape/Painters tape
Sidewalk chalk (chalk paint can be used for a more clean finish)
Kids with a lot of imagination and energy

Method:
Start with marking the outer border with masking tape. You can go as big or as small as you want. The bigger you go it keeps your kids occupied longer.

Then add tape to create the inner shapes. Make sure you create both smaller spaces and bigger spaces to color.

Time to color. Remember to color the inner spaces before the outer ones, else you will end up with a lot more chalk on your kids. Also pause to step back and look at your progress. It gives you a different perspective and helps you to distribute colors evenly.

Carefully remove the tape without stepping and messing up the colors. Tada the final master piece.

My first grader learnt so much about shapes from this project than her online lesson. My fifth grader learnt about color mixing and different strokes for her art class. We have been trying to convert our at home activities, to as much hands on learning as we can during this time. I strongly believe learning this way gives them a deeper understating and stays longer with them. Cooking teaches fractions and chemistry, Sewing teaches measurement and geometry, Gardening teaches science and eco-friendly living, Playing in the snow - building a snowman or a sledding hill teaches physics and engineering skills. I could go on and on.

Let's try to make this time we have together a beautiful memory and a wonderful learning experience for a better future.