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Toolkits and Supplies for Kids
Whether you’re packing for a long drive, a visit to the park, or a camping trip, it’s great to be prepared with art supplies for your kiddo. This week, we’re sharing some ideas and considerations for filling one of your own!
By Maria Coryell-Martin & The Art Toolkit Team
Young kids can bring such an exuberant and uninhibited approach to art. I learn so much from my daughter Stella every day as I watch her lay down bold lines and expressive colors. We’re camping this week, and I’ve helped pack her Pocket Art Toolkit with her favorite supplies ranging from her palette to water brushes, pens, waterproof pencils, and looseleaf paper to share with friends. Stella takes pride in having her own Toolkit filled with her own tools!
When traveling lightweight, we each carry our Pocket Art Toolkits and a mini ZigZag Book. The small size is easy to fill and creates a memorable narrative of our adventure!
When weight isn’t a problem, we often pack clipboards and additional craft supplies like a tin of pens, printer and origami paper, washi tape, a glue stick, and scissors to fuel her creativity with friends. We pack the paper in a zipper case for easy clean-up and store everything in a designated tote so Stella can easily keep track of her supplies.
In addition to what we bring from home, there’s always the fun of exploring art through nature! From making fairy houses to drawing on rocks and exploring nature pigments (Oregon Grape creates a beautiful purple ink!), there’s always something to spark the imagination.
We love how easy it is to share artistic tips and inspiration online, and a few months ago, Ky reached out to us on Instagram, looking for inspiration for her daughter’s kit. We shared some thoughts, but in the end it was Ky and her daughter’s kit who inspired this blog post, which is adorably customized with some of her favorite supplies. Ky assembled her daughter’s Art Toolkit with a cover she bought during our annual spring sale. Using many fun ideas for personalizing an Art Toolkit, she put together a kit for her daughter to use anytime, anywhere.
From Ky
“For my kiddo’s kit, she gets the Royal Talens watercolors because they’re non-toxic and a lower price point, a Mini Water Brush, and her favorite pencil. I’ve also put some mini blank books in her kit. I’m not sure how they hold up for watercolor yet, but they’re great for little doodles and sketches. Perhaps it’s not all too different from an adult’s kit, but I do enjoy making it fun for her and personalizing it for her.”
“We, of course, have taken our kit out for nature here in Vermont, but I also want to say that I find it useful for everyday life,” Ky says. “It recently saved a group of bored kids while waiting for food at a restaurant. I pack it in the car for road trips.”
“She frequently prefers to draw or doodle, so the markers and mini books have been a great addition to her kit. The mini clipboard holds the mini books perfectly and fits nicely into one of the large pockets of the Art Toolkit.”
Items in Ky’s daughter’s Art Toolkit:
Crayola Fine Line Markers
Wooden Ruler
Small Binder Clips
Hygloss Mini Blank Books
Mini Clipboard
Pocket Palette filled with the Explore Colors Set (paints by Royal Talens)
Pencil
Sharpie Pen
4x6 Watercolor Pad
Thank you, Ky, for sharing your daughter’s kit with us (we love the patch on the front)! Parents, we want to hear about the kits you’ve put together for your kids! What are their favorite supplies?