I LOVE to create art projects with my girls and they LOVE to experiment with art as well! Every day, my oldest asks "what are we making today?" Sometimes we simply color a new picture (we have three boxes of crayons: one box of jumbo crayons for toddler, one "mixed box" of "whatever crayons" and a SPECIAL box of 120 Crayola Crayons "just for Mommy and Emily" with no broken crayons, no ripped paper, and each crayon kept carefully in the box). Other days, we take on something fun and creative like Bubble Painting. And then, we love seasonal projects like painting pumpkins, stamping with apples, making Christmas ornaments, and homemade Valentines!
To keep the Creative Juices flowing in our home, we have a "Craft Cabinet" with drawers storing all of our supplies. Here are some of our favorites:
1) "Must Have" Preschool Art Supplies:
- Crayons: Every year as parents stock up for Back To School shopping, I hear moms at the store complaining that teachers request Crayola products over "cheap brands." If you've ever used cheap brands, you'll know why. There IS a difference and I am definitely a big fan of Crayola. If you plan to give your child a coloring book and crayons and you don't care what the final product is, or your child is destructive with crayons, perhaps cheap crayons are fine. Personally, I find a big difference not only in the "outcome" (Crayola colors are more vibrant), but most importantly in my girls' enjoyment. Cheap crayons are more difficult to use. Some off brands are so bad I feel like I'm trying to draw with a candle when I use them. Also, for toddlers I love Crayola's JUMBO (not large, JUMBO) crayons... they really don't break! For older children, Twistables are a wonderful "non-breaking" solution as well.
- Paper: Keep construction paper, used computer paper with a blank side, and fun little notebooks available. I keep small children's notepads (available in party favor aisles or dollar sections) in my purse to occupy time in waiting rooms and restaurants. Wonderscope's Recycled Materials Center (5700 King, Shawnee, KS. 913.287.8888) is a great source for inexpensive fun paper in large sizes. You can also find marbled construction paper, holiday stationary, and "framed" paper at craft stores and super stores.
- Glue: Glue sticks are our favorite, but sometimes a bottle of Elmer's is necessary. We also use Modge Podge for decoupage, glittering pumpkins and wooden projects, and other more "crafty" projects.
- Child Safe Scissors: Make sure they are comfortable for your child's hand (and watch for right/left handed pairs as needed). I avoid scissors with "cute animals" and such as they are often more difficult to grasp.
- Paints: Again, I am partial to Crayola's products, but the difference isn't terribly significant for water color paints except the boldness of the color. We love WASHABLE paints: Water Colors, Tempera, Finger Paints, Poster Paints, and Glitter Paints. I also keep a bag filled with several types of brushes, and foam shapes for stenciling. Fingers, q-tips, apples, and "textured" recyclable items like bubble wrap, corrugated cardboard, and toilet paper rolls with yarn glued on them to create designs also make fun "brushes" for budding Picassos.
- Colored Pencils, Markers, Chalk: Keep a variety of "writing/drawing" tools and watch for sales around Back to School season and Holidays and use coupons to snag great deals and stock up on these favorites. For preschoolers, stick to washable markers. So far, we've had perfect success with removing accidental marks left behind by Crayola's Washable Markers. Anything that requires a touch more "elbow grease" has been successfully tackled with Mr. Clean's Magic Eraser.
- Play Dough and Clay: You can buy play dough or make your own. There are many fantastic recipes here. Children love to use cookie cutters, rolling pins, and other kitchen tools (potato mashers make great designs) to create sculptures.
2) Extra Fun Preschool Art Supplies:
- Stickers: Dollar bins are a great source for stickers, but I've found the very best place is Wonderscope's Recycled Materials Center where you can purchase sheets of stickers for pennies.
- Contact Paper: One of our favorite projects is to create a collage using Contact Paper. Cut out pictures from Magazines, use confetti, objects from nature like leaves and feathers, or small drawings. Cut out two rectangles of Contact Paper (any shape will do as long as it is perfectly "mirrored"). Remove the waxed paper from one sheet and lay it sticky side up in front of your child. Let them lay their objects on the sticky side. When they are finished, place the other sheet of sticky Contact Paper over it "sandwiching" their creation between the two sheets. For holidays, we have "framed" these in construction paper to create cards with a transparent cover. They make extra cute Valentines with red and pink glitter and hearts. Contact paper is also a simple way to laminate special projects you'd like to keep.
- Misc. Items: Paper Doilies, Pipe Cleaners, Pom Poms, Googly Eyes, Adhesive Gems, Beads, Foamies, Ribbon, Buttons, Magazine Cut Outs, Paper cut outs of animals and seasonal shapes, Wooden shapes to paint and more: Watch teacher supply stores and craft stores for clearance to stock up on fun items. If you need inspiration for projects check out www.familyfun.go.com, www.crayola.com, or www.kaboose.com.
- Glitter: Glitter is frowned upon as the messiest of mediums by many moms, but it's also guaranteed fun and an EXCELLENT cabin fever buster in our home after a series of cold or rainy days. If you want to cheer up a child quickly, just add sparkle! Remember to lay down large sheets of paper to catch glitter and use a funnel to return it to tubes. Vacuum well when you're done, and if you don't want to keep glittery projects around your home... Grandparents ALWAYS love to receive surprises in the mail and children LOVE mailing things! We make cards for relatives often... it cheers up grandma and the glitter has been "specially delivered with love" to her house. :-) (Note: My mother has graciously returned the glitter favor BACK to me after babysitting my girls one afternoon. What goes around DOES come around.)
- Crayola Color Wonders: These kits are great fun and perfect when traveling and wanting to be sure not to make messes.
- Food Coloring Markers: Look in the baking aisle for Food Coloring Markers (used to write on frosting on cakes). We like to make sandwiches, then COLOR on the bread with beautiful pictures and cut them out with cookie cutters. The best part? These masterpieces are quickly consumed and the perfect creative outlet when the Refrigerator Gallery is full!
3) Favorite Books for Art Project Inspiration (Note: These are all available at the library.):
- Usborne's Book of Art Ideas and Usborne's Book of Art Projects
- Mary Ann Kohl writes fantastic art project books. A few I love are: The Big Messy Art Book, First Art, Scribble Art, Great American Artists for Kids, Storybook Art, Preschool Art, and Primary Art
- Disney's Family Fun Crafts
- Family Fun Homemade Holidays