Cool Kiddie Project that Won't Break the Bank

In an attempt to keep the boys off the DSi XL and Wii during the heatwave the Northeast is having, I have been crafting or cooking with them. 
Today I am posting about one of favorite crafts-

Sand Art!

How, you may ask, do you keep this budget friendly?

All you need is a few ingredients from you home:

Salt (table salt works better, coarse salt is hard to color)
Sidewalk Chalk
cups

Step 1:  Line up a bunch of plastic cups and fill with salt

Step 2:  Have the little ones pick their favorite color chalk.

Step 3: Swirl the chalk into the salted cups (sounds like a Margarita, but it's too early in NY for that- I'll take a Bloody Mary instead).  The longer your "swirl", the darker the color with be!

Viola!  Colored "sand"!

Step 4:  Find a container, make a picture, whatever you like! 

Sorry for the pictures!  I am trying to get posted before I bring the kids to the children's museum before it gets crowded.  My foot is in one of the pics.  Well at least my toes were painted!

What a cheap way to craft it with the kiddies. And it's nontoxic, so there's no freakin out if the little ones put some in their mouth.

What are you doing to keep the kids busy during this heatwave? 
Leave a comment, I'll comment back!