series about my favorite art supplies
to keep on hand for your kids.
(I'm sorry they are SO LONG!)
If you missed part one:
Favorite Supplies for Toddlers click here.
Here's part two:
I still recommend the supplies from both lists
for the Toddler years (ages 2-3)
and
the Preschool years (ages 3-5)
for School-Age children (ages 5-12)
but I like to add some more "sophisticated" materials to the mix.
1. Love, love, love
Caran D'Ache
Water Soluble Artist Crayons
Draw with them like colored pencils or regular crayons,
then add some water
with a nice paint brush on good, student grade (or nicer)
watercolor paper
to achieve a lovely, watercolor-effect.
(I used to add these to my Monoprints in college all the time!)
2. Sharpies
Yes, I know, these are not "green" or planet friendly
and they are certainly NOT non-toxic!
and they are certainly NOT non-toxic!
USE IN A WELL VENTILATED AREA like the backyard.
but... you can get such cool effects
If you know of a green alternative for my beloved Sharpie markers
I would love to hear from you. (My guilty conscience needs a break!)
I would love to hear from you. (My guilty conscience needs a break!)
3. Acrylic Paint
with my girls because it goes on sale at Michaels ALL the time! I also use
for projects like this....
4. NICE Paint Brushes
You don't have to break the bank but, kids this age should have some
"nice" paint brushes in a variety of sizes. (save those Michaels half-off coupons!)
At least one Fine brush for detail work,
a Medium brush for most painting and
a Large Brush for covering large ares.
Teach them to wash out their brush as soon as they're done painting (don't let it dry out)
Sculpt the bristles back into a point while they're still wet
(like styling it's hair or combing out tangles!)
Always store your brushes upright in a jar or glass to dry (not on their heads!)
Keep in a jar or a brush roll (like those fabric crayon rolls everyone is making now!)
5. Kite Paper
This beautiful, colorful, translucent paper is WONDERFUL
for window projects like...
for window projects like...
We get our Kite Paper from Palumba here
Fun for pretty paper airplane making too!
6. Oil Pastels
I call them
"Magic Crayons"
I love the way you can blend colors with these creamy crayons.
They CAN stain clothing. If you buy the adult kind, they are not
non-toxic but children's pastels are available. I use:
and
Watercolor resists beautifully over Oil Pastel.
7. Assortment of Beads
and
Elastic Thread
To make necklaces, friendship bracelets, doll accessories, eye glasses chains, etc.
Don't forget things like:
recycled cut-up drinking straws
alphabet beads
buttons
home-made Magazine Paper Beads
home-made clay beads
silk flower petals
8. Yarn
Great for finger weaving, hair for dolls, belts and ropes for imaginative play
knitting,or weaving on a loom!
9. Small Loom
perfect for quiet afternoons...
We're planning to make an OUTDOOR Loom for our backyard this summer! (Eek -Exciting!)
10. Blank Books
Kids this age love to write and illustrate their own books and journals.
Encourage this by providing them with an assortment of store-bought and home made blank books.
Sketch Books
Moleskine Journals
11. Their OWN Stash of White Paper
I like to give school-aged children an entire package of white office copy paper.
and a drawing pad
12. Good Student-gradeWatercolor Paper
and... if they really like to watercolor Good Watercolor Paper
13. A beginning Sewing Kit
Learning basic hand sewing and stitching is a foundation skill that will last a lifetime.
Embroidery Floss
Needles of various sizes
Embroidery Hoop
Muslin/Cotton fabric
Burlap
Yarn
Small sharp scissors
A threading tool (to help
them thread their needles)
Buttons
You can make your own Needle Book.
Christmas Tree Button Sewing Lesson
14. A place of their own to keep their art work
An Underbed Storage Box
Accordian File Folder (from an office supply store)
A Drawer...
Both of my girls have their own "Paper BOX" under their beds to keep art work,
school projects, home made books, etc.
We go through and purge/recycle the boxes once or twice a year
to weed out what we really want to keep.
After a year, I find that they are a lot less attached to some of the work,
After a year, I find that they are a lot less attached to some of the work,
then you keep just a few of the really special pieces
that are representative of that age or school year
for scrapbooks, framing/displaying, memory boxes, etc.
15. Modeling Clay
Model Magic
Sculpey
Sculpey Brand "Pluffy" Clay
Kids this age may feel that they are "too big" to play with play-doh
but they will love working with clay (especially clay that can be baked in the oven to harden/cure)
16. Mod-Podge
This water-soluble product is perfect for collage, sealing.
Sparkle, Matte Finish, and Outdoor Formula are our favorites!
Sparkle, Matte Finish, and Outdoor Formula are our favorites!
Family Photo Collage on Canvas
17. Legos
Legos are wonderful for school-age children.
They construct 3-Dimensional sculptures and buildings (Architecture!)
They learn math and counting. It builds fine-motor skills.
You can make an idea book like we did here.
18. Flower/ Leaf Press
Make your own to save those beautiful blooms and leaves
collected in the backyard and on nature walks.
collected in the backyard and on nature walks.
Great for collage and pictures!
19. Scraps
Fabric, Felt, Ribbon, Yarn, Cardboard,
Paper, Tissue Paper, Aluminum Foil, Bubble Wrap
Fabric, Felt, Ribbon, Yarn, Cardboard,
Paper, Tissue Paper, Aluminum Foil, Bubble Wrap
A wonderful resource for kids to use as they need.
AND....
AND....
An INVENTION Box
A wonderful resource for imaginative construction and 3-D work.
This is our catch-all for odd bits and pieces that can't be recycled but we don't want to
toss in the landfill!
20. A Color Box
I always had one of these for each table of students in my art classroom.
A color box is a great way to
recycle smaller scraps of colored paper
leftover from big sheets of paper.
Small scraps of colored paper
I like to provide my girls (and myself!) with a small box
(a kid's shoe box works well for this)
containing a spectrum of colored paper
(scrapbook paper/construction paper)
cut into small rectangles (approx. 4"x6") for various projects.
This is nice for kids to use when doing collage and various projects
but doesn't have as much waste as giving kids big pieces of paper
(that they cut one tiny shape out of the center)
What are your favorite art supplies for school-age children?
Fondly,
pink and green mama, MaryLea
17 comments:
Wow. Just...wow. I thought I had a good assortment of decent art supplies for my kids, but you have me beat hands down. I love all your ideas, and I appreciate having all this information in one place with links and ideas. My first purchase will definitely be kite paper. They will go nuts over it. I didn't even know such a thing existed. Also, my absolute favorite idea is the rainbow box. Why, oh why, have I never thought of that? All our small scraps are just tossed into a bin, hoping that someone will bother to sort through to find what they are looking for, but they almost never do. Maybe they would use them if they were all sorted neatly by color.
My 2 yr old are got a hold on my sharpies already, they are her favorite... Even found a stain washer that wash them off completely! can you beleive it?
I don't have an alternative for you, I wish someone will. I love love love my sharpies!
I can't live without having my acrylic paint on hand. It's super cheap and The Boy and I use it on everything!!
No need to apologize for long posts. I have loved this series of your fav art supplies.
I love colored popsicle sticks. I find them in the regular size and large size (like a tongue depressor) at the dollar store and they come in all sorts of color packs. We use them for all sorts of fun projects around here.
Just love that colour box at the end! Genius! xx
I LOVE your lists, organized by age. I'd like to include a link back to them from my blog - i have an entire page dedicate to art with children, and your resources are fantastic, and so inspiring!
camille
mother★lode
www.camilledawn.com
I love all 3 of these long posts and all the links to past projects. It's like an index to check out when I get stuck for new things to do!
Thank you sooo much! i am going back to the States this week and we have to stock up on at supplies for the year for our boys! this is a fabulous list! God Bless!
such wonderful lists you've made, marylea! what a great resource! thank you for sharing these.
i'd also add into the paintbrush care portion that it's great to teach your kids that after you wash out a paintbrush and restyle the hair, keep the brush laying on its side until dry, then return it to its upright position in your brush jar. otherwise the water can run down the bristles into the metal and wood parts of the brush and rot/rust/ruin it.
as an art therapist and someone who finds art sooo healing, i always feel like art materials are food for the soul! i try to choose quality ones in the same way i'd grocery shop for quality foods and treat the materials with the same care i would when preparing a meal for myself or my family. :)
you rock, mary lea! xo
Jen,
That's a great tip about the paint brushes --I'm guilty of some rotten wood and rusty metal but I think it's more likely because the girls will move on to another project and I find the brushes soaking in a cup of water a day (or two!) later.
It never occurred to me when I was teaching but I think that's because I was washing over 100 paint brushes every afternoon! : )
Fondly,
MaryLea
Don't apologize for the length!!! These are fabulous posts just overflowing with great information and tips! I really appreciate them and this one is giving me tons of ideas for ER as she gets older.
Woould you be interesting in having us feature your series in a post on my other blog ABC & 123? I'd probably feature two-three things from each post and then direct readers back to you and each post over here.
Thank you for these super lists...I have checked out all three. I have a 22 month old and an 8 year old, so doing art with both needs quite some planning!
I love this list of materials. It is giving more ideas. I think my son would particularly like the snail shell on a lego truck. He brought a snail shell in today to paint it. I had to point out that it was still someone's home.
I have just found your blog - Wow! Love it.
One art supply we keep on hand is Perler beads. My girls love 'em.
What a great series - a fantastic resource for parents and grandparents! I love all your photos, descriptions, and links! I just featured your series at the Living Montessori Now Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/LivingMontessoriNow
As a big fan of open-ended art projects, favorite art supplies posts are my favorites. Thank you for all of the fantastic ideas to make art time more exciting for my 7-year-old!
As a big fan of open-ended art projects, favorite art supplies posts are my favorites. Thank you for all of the fantastic ideas to make art time more exciting for my 7-year-old!
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