Ready to Create!

Collect art-making materials in one location (this could be as simple as a cardboard box you’ve decorated with your child) to make an At-Home-Art Kit. A little planning ahead makes it a lot easier to start an activity whenever you’re inspired. Best of all, knowing where to find those loose parts for art making empowers and encourages your child to create! 

The materials listed below are ordered as most-frequently-used to least-frequently-used in our At-Home Activities.

Mess-Reducing Workstation

Make a workstation (or your child can set up a box of workstation supplies), that will help contain the mess incidental to the creative process. We recommend:

• Designated art-making space on a table or on the floor 
• Plastic tray or rimmed baking sheet (where you create your art)
• No-spill paint cups 
• Cups or bowls for glue, paint, and loose materials
• Smock, apron, or old T-shirt
• Plastic tablecloth, large towels, or newspaper for lining workspace
• Rags and towels for cleanup 

You might want to make a space where your child can display their art. (One wall of Habitot’s art studio had a clothesline with clothespins where families hung art. There was so much art to be inspired by there, and it also provided opportunities to compliment the artists.)

The Basic Kit

The following items can be used for so many activities!

• Basket coffee filters
• Card stock
• Construction paper
• Non-toxic, washable tempera paint or poster paint 
• Liquid watercolors (can also use food coloring & water) or dry watercolors 
• No-Spill paint cups 
• Non-toxic, washable markers (Thicker is better for younger children. Here are thin non-toxic, washable markers.)
• Collage materials (see: Re-use Instead of Trash or Recycle below) 
• Paintbrushes (Here’s a fun and wide variety of brushes)
• Tape (Scotch, painter’s, duct, washi, masking, or clear packing)
• School glue, glue stick, or craft glue

Photo from Chromatography Flowers At-Home Activity

Base Materials

Our At-Home Activities often use paper as the base material. We try to use materials that would otherwise be destined for the recycling bin (see list below), but sometimes it’s nice to start with a fresh piece of paper, and sometimes a special kind of paper is ideal.

• Card stock
• Construction paper
• Basket coffee filters
• Printer paper
• Paper lunch bags (here’s a colorful option) 
• Butcher paper
• Poster paper 
• Watercolor paper

Photo from Sun Prints At-Home Activity

Painting, Drawing, and Mark-Making Materials

Always try to use non-toxic and washable paints, markers, and other mark-making materials when they’re necessary for an activity. Sometimes, you can even make your own!

• Non-toxic, washable tempera paint or poster paint 
• Liquid watercolors (can also use food coloring and water) or dry watercolors 
• Non-toxic, washable markers (thicker is better for younger children. Here are thin non-toxic, washable markers)
• Regular pencils 
• Colored pencils 
• Crayons  
• Washable, non-toxic tempera paint sticks
• Children’s non-toxic oil pastels or non-toxic chalk pastels
• Sidewalk chalk
• Metallic paint

Photo from Rainbow Ice Painting At-Home Activity

Decorative Materials

It’s always fun to add decorations to an art activity! Here are some common decorative items we use in our At-Home Activities:

• Crepe paper
• Collage materials (see: Re-use Instead of Trash or Recycle below) 
• Yarn, string, or ribbon
• Tissue paper
• Felt and other fabric 
• Pipe cleaners (thin and thick) 
• Stickers
• Paper grass
• Pom Poms 
• Googly eyes (or eye stickers)
• Colorful feathers

Photo from Coffee Filter Bats At-Home Activity

Tools

There are lots of tools you’ll want to have handy when working on an At-Home Activity. You might have some of these tools already (see the complete From Around the House list below)! It’s best if many tools – such as paint brushes and scissors – are developmentally appropriate and safe for your child’s age.  

• Paintbrushes (Here’s a fun and wide variety of brushes)
• Tape (Scotch, masking, painter’s, duct, clear packing, or washi)
• School glue, glue stick, or craft glue
• Child-safe scissors
• Pipettes 
• Craft sticks, popsicle sticks, or wider tongue depressors 
• Yarn, string, or twine  
• Ruler
• Pipe cleaners (thin and thick)
• Hole punch (This one is great for small children, and adults can easily punch holes in materials like cardboard and leather)
• Craft hole punches (Fun shapes)
• Toy hammers, playdough toys, and other toy tools 
• Klever Kutter (Child-safe box cutter)
• Spray bottle

Photo from Grocery Bag Art Book At-Home Activity

From Around the House

Some of the items we use are common household items, and you’ll want to be able to find them when you do a project that calls for them. You might want to find an extra one to put in your child’s At-Home Activities Kit.

• Medicine droppers (long-lasting alternative to pipette)
• Shaving cream (preferably unscented) 
• Permanent markers (adult use only)
• Ziploc bags 
• Wash bin or shallow bucket 
• Clothespins

(From the Kitchen)

• Rimmed baking sheet, tray, or large plates
• Mixing bowl and mixing spoon or spatula 
• Child-safe knives, forks, and spoons 
• Clear plastic cups or plastic Mason jars  
• Measuring cups, measuring spoons, and a liquid measuring cup  
• Salt, flour, cornstarch, vinegar, baking soda, cooking oil, Knox gelatin powder, lemon juice, spices, cream of tartar, and other baking ingredients 
• Food coloring (caution: can stain hands and clothing) 
• Liquid dish soap 
• Chopsticks or thin wooden coffee stirrers 
• (All dry) Corn kernels, beans, rice, pasta, and other dry, hardy grains 
• Sponges (we cut them up into smaller squares or other shapes) 
• Cookie or biscuit cutters 
• Muffin tin, cake pan, or pie tin 
• Rolling pin, potato masher, and other safe kitchen utensils

Photo from Fizzling, Bubbling Eggs At-Home Activity

Re-use Instead of Trash or Recycle

As you’re taking something to the recycling bin or you’re about to throw something away, consider putting it in your At-Home Activity Kit. So many objects can have one more use as part of a sculpture, the base of a project, or even as a decorative element. Here are some examples of items we put into our Recycled Art Cart:

• Heavy duty cardboard: cut-up packing boxes and small cardboard gift boxes
• Toilet paper tubes, paper towel tubes, and gift wrap tubes
• Plastic containers for fruit, yogurt, and chocolates, etc. (washed w/ soap and water) 
• Thin cardboard: poster board, cereal boxes, and old greeting cards
• Collage and decorating materials: magazines, old/duplicate photographs with colorful or interesting images, gift wrap paper, gift wrap ribbon, crepe paper, and other leftover party decorations
• Large brown paper grocery bags and small paper lunch sacks 
• Old clothing and fabric (and fabric scraps)
• Plastic bottles and plastic cups w/ straws (washed w/ soap and water) 
• Metal cans (no sharp edges and washed w/ soap and water) 
• Egg cartons 
• Strawberry baskets and netting from tangerines or avocados
• Packing materials like bubble wrap and foam peanuts
• Plastic bottle caps, pen caps, and marker caps 
• Old toothbrushes for splatter paint
• Old toys, broken crayons

Photo from Recycled Materials Jetpack At-Home Activity

Collect in Nature

When you’re taking a walk or you’re at a park, you might want to collect some natural objects (assuming it’s allowed) for your At-Home Activities Kit. Here are things we look for:

• Leaves
• Flowers and flower petals
• Sticks
• Rocks
• Bark
• Pinecones

Photo from Making Mud Cakes and Other Desserts At-Home Activity

Optional Materials

We list many materials as “optional” in our At-Home Activities. Optional materials are fun and can help with building, decorating, and exploring an activity, but they aren’t completely necessary. Here are a few examples:

• Small toys, especially those with details such as holes, tassels, or protrusions
• LED lights and battery-operated candles
• Non-toxic fabric markers
• Non-toxic fabric glue
• Heat transfer vinyl sheets and iron (safety precautions) 
• Low-temperature glue gun and cool glue (safety precautions)
• Funnel
• Magnifying glass  
• Sandpaper

Photo from No-Sew Superhero Cape At-Home Activity