Materials Volumes could be written to explain the qualities of various art supplies, but here I will simply point out the best supplies that will be found on most department store shelves. Do select Crayola ® brand crayons. Children three and under may need fat crayons, which will not break as easily in their hands. Crayola ® crayons are less waxy and contain more pigment (color) than other brands. Since getting color on the paper is what art is all about, it makes sense to use pigment-rich products. Prang ® and Crayola ® are good children’s brands for paint. Any paint labeled “washable” will have much less pigment and color brightness than regular paint. Washable tempera paints will seem gel-like, resulting in poor coverage. Preschoolers may not notice these differences, so it is more important to choose a type of paint that is easiest for your child to handle. Crayola® brand set of five brushes contains a nice assortment of synthetic brushes. The company’s other sets contain inferior types of brushes such as bristle and soft-hair, which I do not recommend. While any type of non-permanent marker can be used, my favorite for very young children is Mr. Sketch ® Scented Markers by Sanford. The broad tips are easy for preschoolers to handle and they smell like strawberries, grapes, and yummy things. Who wouldn’t like that? Fingerpaints can be purchased or made from household ingredients such as liquid starch or wheat paste. See the home-made mixture on page fifteen. Use Play-Doh ® by Hasbro or home-made dough mixture shown on page eighteen. These are easily manipulated and reusable. I do not suggest purchasing clays, both natural and polymer, which are often too stiff for small hands. Purchase copy paper from office supply stores. Use it for coloring, drawing, and painting. Children who spend much time on a painting will need sturdier paper, but in most cases, you can avoid buying expensive pads of art paper while children are young. Rolls of paper are fun and useful for preschoolers. Construction paper adds color to projects and is good for cutting and gluing, but not for painting. Here are the suggested materials for this book. Modify as needed.
Drawing Paper Pad, 9" x 12" Construction Paper, assorted colors Fiskars® Scissors, blunt tip Elmer's® Glue All, 1.25 oz. Crayola®, Washable Finger Paint, set of 4 Crayola® 5 Brush Assortment Finger Paint Paper, 16"x12" Watercolor Paper Pad, 9"x12" Mr. Sketch® Scent Markers Crayola® Crayon, set of 96 Crayola® watercolors, set of 8 A large roll of white or brown shipping paper and additional household items are needed.
4
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker