As I mentioned in a previous blog, we have a lovely little area in our basement that we use to make crafts. We also have a craft area in our living room, or rather, we have a craft box. Now, I am not very skilled at creating crafts, but I do enjoy the process. And I am also one who would forget to do crafts with my daughter if I didn’t have a space to do them and the materials immediately at hand.
What do we keep in our preschool craft stations? Most of the materials are not too expensive and are easy to find. Some of the craft materials we have on hand are:
Scraps of fabric
Ask people who sew for their leftovers. This is an easy way to amass a lot of fabric scraps.
Old gift wrap and bags
Currently, my daughter is very interested in making us “birthday presents,” so this feeds the need to wrap everything.
Lots of tape
Tape is a currently favorite too. We have several kinds of tape. Painter’s tape is easy to tear, large, and comes off easily.
White glue
We have several bottles of glue, so that a couple of children can work on projects at the same time.
Stamps
These are easy to find at garage sales. Just keep an eye on the ink pads, or you will have a very colorful child on your hands!
Stickers
We seem to acquire stickers from birthday parties and Christmas gifts. I keep them beside the paper so my daughter can stick away!
Pipe cleaners / chenille stems
These bendy objects are fun to use with both fabric and paper.
Paints
We have containers of both tempera paints and finger paints handy. We also have a selection of large and small brushes and sponges.
Scrap paper
I bring home faxes so that my daughter can use the other side of the paper. That way I feel no guilt about her copious use of paper for art works.
What supplies do you use when you’re making crafts with your kids?