guerrilla goodness: sidewalk chalk love (it’s back!)
August 31, 2010
photo by the Koshock crew
It’s back!!! You may remember when lots of folks ALL over the country headed out with sidewalk chalk to encourage the kids of their cities on the first day of school. Well, we are doin’ it again and would love to have you join us!
here’s the deal:
1. Grab some bright sidewalk chalk.
2. You head out with friends, family, kids, dogs, grandmothers, artists, whoever…and write positive messges to kids on the sidewalks in front of the elementary schools for the first day of school. Here are some things you can write:
Have a GREAT first day of school!!
It’s going to be a awesome year!
You look fantastic!
We believe in you!
if you want more ideas, check out the pictures of what other people have done here.
3. Go home blissed out with the kindness high!
4. If you are a kindness kid, be super quiet when you are walking to school the next day and everyone around you is talking about the cool art out front… and smile.
5. If you are a Richmonder and want to participate, reach out to your local school administration and send them a link to this post for permission. If just the idea makes you tired or sweat, contact me and I’ll do it for you! patience@kindnessgirl.com
6. If you decide to do this project or blog about it, please leave a comment so we can highlight your kindness work and watch it grow! Don’t forget to send me pictures and I’ll post them or simply add them to our GG Flickr Pool.
Other folks chalkin’ it up:
Richmond:
Holton Elementary School- Mrs. Hooker’s First Grade Class
Swansboro Elementary
Munford Elementary
Gordon Elementary
Richmond Montessori
Clover Hill Elementary
Crestwood Elementary
Bellevue Elementary
Legacy Elementary- Ashburn, Va
Montross Middle School
Washington D.C.
Los Angeles
Days Creek, OR
Kindnessgirl 
August 31, 2010 at 9:07 am
Patience,
AWESOME-NESS!!
What a great way to provide a extra bit of FUN in that first day back to school!!
September 1, 2010 at 9:06 am
thanks Lance! you are awesome my friend, thanks for spreading the word!
August 31, 2010 at 9:13 am
I LOVE THIS.
Wish I had found this 2 weeks ago when my kiddos started back to school but maybe I will put it into practice on a special day. 🙂
Love your blog!
September 1, 2010 at 9:07 am
i know!!! so sorry! i’m a little late this year, but we did it late last year too if you are still inspired. i think sometimes the 2nd week of school can be harder when it all settles in.
heck, chalk love is good any day, right?! thanks for chiming in Dawn!
August 31, 2010 at 9:18 am
I’m super excited! Tonight is our sidewalk chalk love! Here’s the link to the Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=129236430454173. Can’t wait to see what everyone’s doing!
September 1, 2010 at 9:08 am
LOVED the pictures…you are amazing Chris. SO happy to know you…
August 31, 2010 at 9:30 am
Lance pointed this post out to me, and I LOVED it! I did a birthday chalk message for a friend – covering her entire driveway as a surprise – earlier this year. Felt like a kid again!
I love this idea — chalk on, friends!
September 1, 2010 at 9:03 am
love the birthday love! 🙂 Thanks to Lance too!
August 31, 2010 at 11:25 am
Definitely doing it again! We loved it last year in Springfield!
September 1, 2010 at 9:03 am
oh Amie!!! take some of your awesome pics! Can’t wait to see!
August 31, 2010 at 6:24 pm
I love this idea!
September 1, 2010 at 9:08 am
so enjoying your blog! got a little lost in it this morning!
September 1, 2010 at 8:22 am
[…] in love! Check out what Chris, the kids and her friends did at their school to go along with their Guerrilla Goodness Sidewalk chalk love. A kindness tree!!! Isn’t it the greatest thing you’ve ever […]
September 1, 2010 at 9:58 pm
[…] Sidewalk Chalk – Love this idea for school or any other time to put a smile on the face of a stranger. […]
September 1, 2010 at 11:01 pm
Hey Patience,
Emily & I have got Holton Elementary School covered with people coming Monday afternoon! Love this project!!!
xo Kristin
September 2, 2010 at 7:09 pm
the teens and I will be heading out again this year. if anyone wants to join us in Richmond on Sunday, let me know!
September 2, 2010 at 7:57 pm
[…] in on spreading the love at your neighborhood school, consider donating some time this weekend to Guerilla Goodness chalk drawings! I’ll be over at Mary Munford on Monday if you want to join […]
September 3, 2010 at 5:13 am
[…] the quality of students’ experiences as they are affected by these factors. A friend of mine, Kindness Girl, has started a quasi-national movement to let students know that their communities want them to be […]
September 4, 2010 at 7:54 am
I saw a link to this post from Amie on FB the other day and loved the idea! I put it out to my fellow moms and we’ll be out Monday night at Legacy Elementary in Ashburn, VA. Can’t wait to see how it turns out!
September 7, 2010 at 1:10 pm
What a great success our chalk love was – everyone loved it! (except possibly the janitors). Here’s a link to some of my photos.
http://kellynphotography.com/blog/?p=958
September 6, 2010 at 10:24 am
The Melvins will be hitting up Bellvue today!!!
September 7, 2010 at 8:42 am
We covered Jennie Dean Elementary, Metz Middle School and Signal Hill Elementary in Manassas.
My favorites? Your teacher is nice and It’s my first day too!
September 7, 2010 at 11:13 pm
Hey Patience,
I think we had about 50 people turn out for our Holton chalk love – a good mix of parents, kids, teachers and even a few community members whose kids aren’t at Holton yet! There’s talk about making it organized every year and adding a potluck meal afterwards. We met at 4pm and, after we were done, a bunch of kids ended up on the playground while grown ups visited. I think it also helped many of us get settled into the idea of going back to school with the opportunity to connect with old friends before the first day.
Did you all have fun, too? 🙂
xo K
September 7, 2010 at 11:53 pm
As you know, we did this again this year, only in our NEW town… the little boys and I forgot to hit their school a week later, but the High School was got! It was pretty fun to go to the school a few days afterward, and see the chalk still on the ground. I sure hope the Janitors don’t mind it. 🙂
September 8, 2010 at 7:10 am
[…] went into the night all stealthy-like, others gathered in large groups but this Sidewalk Chalk Love was all about community this year. Hundreds of kids, parents, teachers, administrators, […]
August 23, 2011 at 6:11 am
[…] back! It’s time for the sidewalk chalk love again friends! You may remember when hundreds of folks ALL over the country headed out with […]
June 5, 2013 at 3:44 pm
[…] Have students create an end of the year sidewalk message from Kindness Girl […]
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January 14, 2015 at 1:14 pm
[…] guerrilla goodness: sidewalk chalk love (it’s back!) […]
July 12, 2021 at 10:00 am
[…] the quality of students’ experiences as they are affected by these factors. A friend of mine, Kindness Girl, has started a quasi-national movement to let students know that their communities want them to be […]
November 15, 2022 at 2:47 am
Thanks for sharring this