Whats in Your Art Box?

     Today is back to school in our neck of the world and although The Boy won't be starting until tomorrow- his first year of pre-school- I thought I would share some of our favourite art supplies in honor of the day. I asked the kids to pick out their favourite things to use- of course they wanted to show you everything but I had a few reservations about showing the giant mess that is our art studio- trust me it is not a pretty sight these days! So with out further ado I give you our favourite art supplies!

    Starting top left with the blue brush - Chubby Brush with wooden handle- I find these allow kids to get a good grip on the brush, old tooth brush for scrubbing paint, Prang glue stick- we go through these like water at our house!, Washi tape from Room 6, tempera paint pucks- good colours and excellent price point. Middle Row starting with the corks that have been purloined from the recycling area- great for different mark making, stickers and googly eyes- nuff said!, Sakura Junior Artist Oil pastels- newly acquired over the weekend and an instant hit- from Collage Collage. Last row- Soy Rocks- crayons for little hands- our kids still use these as they have excellent colours and finally our random assortment of recycled materials - perfect for building robots and of course completely free!

       Of course I would have to say one of my personal favourites is this thrifted art caddy that I found at the old V.V. Boutique! This little tote is one of the hardest working things in our art kit- it usually is loaded up with what ever the kids are working on and toted around wherever they happen to go- I love it because it helps them stay organized and take care of their things.

     If today is also back to school for you or your own little/big ones I hope it is a smooth day- it can be tough getting up early after weeks of the lazy sleep in days of summer. I for one am ready to get into this whole school routine even if it is just part time for us this year- I'm excited about my son starting his adventure into education and I look forward to hearing everything new he learns! I hope this little list of ours inspires you to try a new art product as part of your own adventure in art- I highly recommend the pastels!

ps- I should add that the rest of our art supplies unless specified come from Opus Framing and Art Supplies- a local store that does not overlook it's youngest customers- quality supplies that allow kids to successfully complete a project!

pss- as with any art supply being used by children I urge you to look for the Non Toxic certification on the back of the product- not all art supplies are created equally!