art supplies

  • Which type of food coloring to use?

    There are a few different kinds of food coloring, but the two that are the most readily available (read: easy to find in the store) are your traditional liquid food coloring, and gel food coloring.  Both can be used in the classroom to add some color to your art projects, but there are different materials that each work best with (the following links are affiliates). When you’re using liquids, you want to use the liquid food coloring – makes sense right? Liquid food coloring is easy to mix with water, thin paints, vinegar (if you’re doing the project that I posted about yesterday), and soap.  It’s also perfect for recipes…

  • Things that you can dye using food coloring

    Would you believe that one of my favorite art supplies is food coloring?! It’s cheap, easy to use, and I know it’s safe.  It does make a bit of a mess so I try to use it when I know we won’t be touching it, but it comes off of skin better than most liquid watercolors. My favorite way to use food coloring is to dye different objects with it, here are two of my favorites: Colored sand Dyed pasta I’ve also seen it used to dye oats, rice, playdough, and homemade paints.  Check back each day this week for more activities and tips on using food coloring for art!

  • Awesome Markers

    I have this problem… I LOVE art supplies.  Markers are my weakness, mostly because I refuse to use a dried out marker, oh, and because I love markers that have a perfectly new tip.  I’m the teacher who hoards a box of markers so that they are always in new condition when I need to use them.  So it should come as no surprise that I love shopping for markers – any kind of markers.  Here are some fun products that would be great for the classroom! All links are affiliates. Super Tips – These are the best markers! They have a fine tip, but you can also draw with the broad…

  • Elements of art: line

    We know that when children are drawing they are practicing pre-writing skills, but did you know that they are also learning about elements and principles of design? I stumbled across this amazing ABCs of Art Booklet (on Pinterest of course) a while back and it has become one of my favorite things ever.  The pages provide incredible inspiration for the children as they draw. My favorite page in the booklet is the page on line. It is the perfect poster for the art area, or to leave in the middle of the table while the children work. When it comes to playing with lines, I think markers are the best!…

  • Friday Freebie – Art Supply Labels

    Happy Friday! I have been waiting for this day since January because as of 2:30 this afternoon I am officially on vacation!!!!! I’m sure many of you are in the same boat, so therefore, today we are celebrating together! I also have a fabulous freebie for you.  These art supply labels from Joanna Minor are amazing because they include real photographs of the supplies.  These are perfect for organizing your art supplies, which somehow have a mind of their own – I know, I’ve been there! Download these labels and have a wonderful holiday weekend!

  • Tips and tricks for keeping things neat while painting

    I honestly have no problem with a little bit of a mess, and I think it’s inevitable when you’re painting with preschoolers. That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t use strategies to make cleaning up easier.  Here are some great tricks for prepping your painting space so that clean up is a breeze. Store your paint in disposable containers with lids like baby food containers. If you need to clean up before the kids are finished you can just snap the lids on the paints, and then once they are done you can toss the containers.  This is also a great way to make sure that you aren’t wasting paint.  Cover tables…

  • Products for painting activities

    I’m going to share some fun painting ideas this week, but before we get to those I wanted to share a few of my favorite paint-related products.  These are all my personal favorite paints, supplies, and clean up helpers! This post includes Amazon affiliate links. When it comes to watercolors, Crayola is hands down the best brand.  The colors are bright and the packaging is easy for little ones to use independently. Crayola 8 Count Watercolors Are my favorite because half the fun of watercolors is mixing new colors, but they also have an 16 count set.  I am personally not a fan of liquid watercolor simply because they are so…