Make your own chalk
Making an omelette, scrambled eggs, or a cake? Don’t throw away those eggshells—use them to make chalk!
Do you know that the chalk you drew with as a child may have been made from the skeletons of ancient microscopic plankton? These organisms were compressed over millions of years into a mineral called calcium carbonate.
Eggshells are also made of calcium carbonate. And you can use eggshells to make your own chalk.
Materials
- Used eggshells
- Plain flour
- Food colouring (for coloured chalk)
- Hot water
- Paper towel or baking paper
Steps
- Wash and dry your eggshells. If you can, remove the thin membrane from inside the eggshells too.
- Once your eggshell is completely dry, crush it up, and grind as finely as you can with a mortar and pestle, or with the back of a spoon.
- Measure the amount of eggshell, then add double the amount of flour (e.g. if you have one tablespoon of eggshell add two tablespoons of flour).
- Add a measure of hot water equal to the amount of eggshell (eg if you had one tablespoon of eggshell now add one tablespoon of water).
- Mix with a spoon until it forms a thick paste. Add a few drops of food colouring if you want coloured chalk.
- Now roll your mixture into a stick or log shape. You'll have to leave it to until its completely dry, so wrap it in some paper towel and leave it to sit for 3-5 days.
- Once it's dry, you're ready to draw!