Basic Supply List
Here is a list of supplies that will often come up in the activities posted on this page.
I have these items stocked all the time at home to make it super easy for me to set up activities whenever the kids get a bit antsy and I don't want to resort to the tv or iPad.
1. Colour printer and laminator
This might seem like a very big item to spend on but it really isn't!
I used to print black and white then colour the pages in by hand. Q saw how ridiculous I was being and bought me the Epson L120 printer. It only costed around $100 and after more than half a year of constant printing, I still haven't had to top up the ink cartridges! My laminator came with a whole stack of pockets and set me back only $50.
2. Colour Paints
We use paints A LOT.
It is an easy way to make art and make activities!
It is also important to find one that has a good consistency (not too drippy) and wipes off easily when kids get too excited and paint everything but the paper. These bottles of paint will last you a LONG LONG time. You can use fingers to do most of the painting if you are working with kids under 2.5 years.. They usually end up preferring their hands over brushes anyway. But if you are going to buy brushes, I recommend getting the good ones. Paying $5 for one that will last years is better than getting a bunch at Daiso only to have to brush bristles off the artwork after that then replace them after a few weeks (yes, I've done that. Not worth it!). You only need as many brushes as you have kids. And find one with a wide head (flat and at least as wide as your thumb) with a handle that isn't too long for your child.
3. Paper
I usually have 3 types of paper besides printer paper available at all times in my house. Ikea paper for those impromptu art moments, construction paper for crafts, and cardstock for printing templates on which the kids would paint on. Out of these three, cardstock is the most unnecessary... But it does make a difference especially if your kid is like mine and doesn't seem to paint anywhere else but ONE spot on the paper!
4. Trays
You can get these super inexpensively at ikea and will be worth every penny. They help keep the mess contained as they give the kids a visual cue as to where the activity should be happening. It also makes for super easy clean up especially when you have multiple children. Tray removal usually means mess removal and picking up the tray and placing it somewhere out of reach is much much easier than find somewhere out of reach for an entire table. It also takes so much less time than going off to find a rag and clearing the table of paintbrushes and paint trays. Tip: Find one in an easy to wash material and bring a sticker along to make sure they peel off easily as we use them a lot for sticker activities too.
5. Hot glue gun
I got mine really late in the game but it has been SO USEFUL. It sticks stuff together SO quickly without any mess. I used to use school glue or the common white wood glue you find at bookstores but they can be SO MESSY. The glue gun only costed me $5 from Popular bookstore and the glue sticks $3+. You can also get a bunch of glue sticks for USD5 off Amazon. I've used it not only for crafts but kids break things so easily and this has saved so many toys too! WORTH IT.
6. Food colouring
You just need the three primary colours: red, blue and yellow.
A drop of them adds pizzaz to water play. We use them to dye almost anything to keep things taste safe especially for young children.
7. Standard craft items
- scissors
- scotch tape
- dry erase / easy to clean markers
- crayons and/or colour pencils
These are used for almost all activities, either for prep or the activity itself. Most of them, you probably already have at home.
8. Cups, bottles, scoops, etc
These are used for sensory and water play. You don't have to buy them! All my cups, bottles and scoops are recycled items. Spoons usually come in a whole value pack and I definitely don't need 10 when we only have 2 adults in the family. You can easily make a funnel by cutting a 1.5 litre bottle into half (The top half becomes a very good funnel). Save things like egg trays, especially the plastic ones so that you can use them for water play and wash them after they get a bit messy.
I have these items stocked all the time at home to make it super easy for me to set up activities whenever the kids get a bit antsy and I don't want to resort to the tv or iPad.
1. Colour printer and laminator
This might seem like a very big item to spend on but it really isn't!
I used to print black and white then colour the pages in by hand. Q saw how ridiculous I was being and bought me the Epson L120 printer. It only costed around $100 and after more than half a year of constant printing, I still haven't had to top up the ink cartridges! My laminator came with a whole stack of pockets and set me back only $50.
2. Colour Paints
We use paints A LOT.
It is an easy way to make art and make activities!
It is also important to find one that has a good consistency (not too drippy) and wipes off easily when kids get too excited and paint everything but the paper. These bottles of paint will last you a LONG LONG time. You can use fingers to do most of the painting if you are working with kids under 2.5 years.. They usually end up preferring their hands over brushes anyway. But if you are going to buy brushes, I recommend getting the good ones. Paying $5 for one that will last years is better than getting a bunch at Daiso only to have to brush bristles off the artwork after that then replace them after a few weeks (yes, I've done that. Not worth it!). You only need as many brushes as you have kids. And find one with a wide head (flat and at least as wide as your thumb) with a handle that isn't too long for your child.
3. Paper
I usually have 3 types of paper besides printer paper available at all times in my house. Ikea paper for those impromptu art moments, construction paper for crafts, and cardstock for printing templates on which the kids would paint on. Out of these three, cardstock is the most unnecessary... But it does make a difference especially if your kid is like mine and doesn't seem to paint anywhere else but ONE spot on the paper!
4. Trays
You can get these super inexpensively at ikea and will be worth every penny. They help keep the mess contained as they give the kids a visual cue as to where the activity should be happening. It also makes for super easy clean up especially when you have multiple children. Tray removal usually means mess removal and picking up the tray and placing it somewhere out of reach is much much easier than find somewhere out of reach for an entire table. It also takes so much less time than going off to find a rag and clearing the table of paintbrushes and paint trays. Tip: Find one in an easy to wash material and bring a sticker along to make sure they peel off easily as we use them a lot for sticker activities too.
5. Hot glue gun
I got mine really late in the game but it has been SO USEFUL. It sticks stuff together SO quickly without any mess. I used to use school glue or the common white wood glue you find at bookstores but they can be SO MESSY. The glue gun only costed me $5 from Popular bookstore and the glue sticks $3+. You can also get a bunch of glue sticks for USD5 off Amazon. I've used it not only for crafts but kids break things so easily and this has saved so many toys too! WORTH IT.
6. Food colouring
You just need the three primary colours: red, blue and yellow.
A drop of them adds pizzaz to water play. We use them to dye almost anything to keep things taste safe especially for young children.
7. Standard craft items
- scissors
- scotch tape
- dry erase / easy to clean markers
- crayons and/or colour pencils
These are used for almost all activities, either for prep or the activity itself. Most of them, you probably already have at home.
8. Cups, bottles, scoops, etc
These are used for sensory and water play. You don't have to buy them! All my cups, bottles and scoops are recycled items. Spoons usually come in a whole value pack and I definitely don't need 10 when we only have 2 adults in the family. You can easily make a funnel by cutting a 1.5 litre bottle into half (The top half becomes a very good funnel). Save things like egg trays, especially the plastic ones so that you can use them for water play and wash them after they get a bit messy.
Hi! I was trying to purchase the handy arts paint set you recommended but it seems like amazon doesnt do international shipping for that item? Anywhere else I could get these? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThat's strange,, I just looked it up on amazon and it still does. Maybe just search 'tempera paints' and click the international shipping option on the left tab and see the results from there?
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