By Lookout Staff

May 19, 2015 -- Dozens of children will put the finishing touches Tuesday on a mural at the Santa Monica Pier that organizers are calling the largest mural ever painted.

As long as a football field, the colorful chalk mural covers nearly 40,000 square feet of blacktop and required more than 2,500 pounds of chalk paint and roughly 360 hours to complete, said Amanda Corrigan, spokeswoman for RoseArt, the children's art supply maker that sponsored the project.

Children from local schools and the Santa Monica Boys & Girls Club, along with actress  Beverly Mitchell, who played the mom on the TV show “7th Heaven,” started working on the design Monday and were scheduled to complete the mural Tuesday, said Corrigan.

It features a giant sun and seven “interactive play zones” where children can play hopscotch and other games, she said.

“It's a celebration of art and creativity, and it's also a call for kids to come out, get away from the video screens for a bit, and get active now that summer is coming,” said Corrigan.

As part of the project, Mitchell on Tuesday will present a $50,000 donation to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America on behalf of RoseArt, said Corrigan. The donation will go to foster art projects, she added.

Tom Hogan, national director of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and Robert Goodwin, director of the Mattel's Children's Foundation, will attend a public presentation of the mural Tuesday, said Corrigan.

“With budget limitations a constant threat to the arts, the donation will support Club art programs coast to coast,” said Corrigan.

And, by the way, the chalk is washable, Corrigan added.