Homeschool Art Supplies You Need

I am not an artist. I can draw passable stick figures — oh, and trees; I can also draw trees — but that’s about it. My kids are no artistic wonders either. But we all enjoy sitting down with a few art supplies to let our creativity flow. I make it a point to keep a few basic supplies on hand.

Papers:

manila paper
drawing paper
newsprint paper
construction paper
cardstock

Get started with the proper foundation. Cardstock for watercolors, newsprint for a budding reporter, manila paper for treasure maps. My kids typically sit down knowing exactly what kind of paper they want to produce the art they have in mind. While plain old printer paper will work for most jobs, having the right paper for the project just makes the whole thing more enjoyable!

Bonus: pretty scrapbooking paper, brown paper lunch sacks, index cards, art canvases, tagboard

Writing Utensils:

markers
crayons
colored pencils
pencils
chalk

The most important thing after something to write on is something to write with! Does your project call for the bold rich colors of a markers? the smoothness of colored pencils? or the texture of a crayon? Having a variety on hand can inspire the imagination of budding artists of all ages.

Bonus: Do-A-Dot markers, stencils

Office Supplies:

scissors
paper clips
binder clips
hole punch(es)
staples

What may look like boring office supplies to you is a world of wonder to a kid! Paper clips, staplers, binder clips and more inspire all kinds of fun and fanciful artwork!

Bonus: brass fasteners, ink pads and stamps, envelopes

Adhesives:

school glue
glue sticks
masking tape
scotch tape

Now that you’ve cut things to pieces with scissors (construction paper confetti anyone??), you’ve got to have a way to put it all back together again. Collages, paper “quilt” squares, finger puppets, and more can be fashioned with help from a little adhesive.

Bonus: glue dots, washi tape

Painting Supplies:

water colors
tempera paint
paint brushes
Q-tips

No artistic experience would be complete without at least dabbling in paint. There’s something immensely satisfying about swishing your paintbrush in a cup of water and slashing color across a canvas (or piece of cardstock). Whether you’re progeny is painting the next Picasso or just seeing what you get when you mix orange, green, and yellow, you simply must have some sort of paints on hand!

Bonus: finger paints, face paints, acrylic paints, oil paints, paint palette for mixing colors

Craft Supplies:

modeling clay
air-drying clay
pipe cleaners
yarn
cotton balls
Q-tips
craft sticks

Some days I’d rather do something less artistic and more crafty, so keep plenty of fun craft supplies on hand! Twist a whole family of little pipe cleaner figures and set them to work building a home of craft sticks, complete with a kitchen sink out of clay. Or make a colorful mobile with a few popsicle sticks and some soft yarn. Let your creativity soar!

Bonus: glitter, goggly eyes, stickers, shoeboxes

What is your favorite art medium? Did I miss anything you consider essential?

MFW ECC: What's different this time around?

I am so excited to go through Exploring Countries and Cultures again. The last time my kids were so little -- 3rd grade and Kindergarten. And now they are in 5th and 8th grades! They have grown so much over the past five years. As I began to think about our plan for this year, I realized two things: 1) my gifted eldest child remembers just about everything we covered in ECC the first time, and 2) my younger one hasn't had many of the basics that ECC covers. So I was faced with a dilemma -- how do I adjust ECC to suit the very different needs of both children? How do I shift the focus for my 8th grader to aspects of ECC that she hadn't spent time on before (such as types of governments, imports and exports, etc.) while also taking my younger child through the more foundational information that he missed when he was just a kindergartener? ECC is designed to be parent-led, family learning, with a supplement for 7th and 8th grade. But I came to the conclusion that I need to deco...

Pilcrow pajamas

I finally finished a sewing project...it's been a while, huh? Little Guy has outgrown most of his pajamas and bodysuits. He has several onesies, but they're mostly short sleeved which isn't really appropriate for this time of year without a cardigan. Ottobre to the rescue! I had traced off the "Naava coverall" (Ottobre 6/2009, #3) but it was already a size too small. I "remedied" that by simply cutting it out a little larger all around and keeping my original seam allowance...a bit sloppy perhaps, but time-saving! I actually cut out two at the same time from the same material. I was going for practicality (something for the kid to wear!) rather than fashion. The other one is nearly done - just the leg binding and snaps left to do. Still, I needed to do something fun to spruce 'em up a bit. The other one was voted by hubby to be video game themed, so I decided to make this one reflect my abject nerdiness personality....

Letter posters with memory verses

I have very fond memories of the cursive letter banner that was posted around the top of the walls in my fifth grade classroom. I thought it would be fun to make something similar for our homeschool classroom (a.k.a. our kitchen). I decided to include a Bible verse for each letter. At this point it's mostly for my own benefit since Miss M doesn't read yet. They serve as great reminders to help her memorize these important bits of Scripture while her little mind is still a sponge. (It saddens me that my memorization skills are not what they were when I was a kid!) The fun part is I saved my work in a pdf file for you to use too! Just click the image above to download the file. I laminated mine before sticking them around my kitchen walls with ticky tacky. (The laminator is a new toy!) Enjoy!

CHRISTEPHI

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