What would you have in an art caddy?

[tinasquirrel]

I think I have come up with a cool idea for Christmas presents for my nieces and nephew. Nephew will be almost 6 at Christmas, and nieces will be 2 and 4.

I was thinking I would get them this art caddy from Magic Cabin. Then, I would fill it with a few nice art supplies, of the Lyra, Stockmar variety.

My SIL is homeschooling, using a combination of Waldorf and Charlotte Mason (I think). She has the caddies on her wish list for the kids, and I've already run it by her and she thinks it's a good idea. She said that so far, they only have Crayola stuff, but said that nephew seems to prefer colored pencils, and she had been thinking of getting the 4yo some Stockmar stick crayons and the 2yo some block ones.

So, what do you think would be good to put in the caddies?

There are so many choices of colored pencils, LOL! Maybe the Lyra Super Ferbys? The Stockmar sticks and blocks seem easy enough.

What else should I put in there? I was thinking that it would need some paper of some sort. Would love all of your ideas! I think I might make some up for my boys too. Currently, all of our art supplies are laying around places, and not very organized.

They don't need to be full of stuff or anything. I was thinking of just a few things, and then SIL can add to them over time as the kids get older.

[Polliwog]

I've never used the Ferby pencils, although I've heard they are nice. We've got a ton of Prismacolor colored pencils (regular and water color) and we like them a lot. I've used them at home and in the classroom.

Get some quality art paper from a art or craft store and a really good sharpener designed for the type of pencils that you choose.

[AAK]

I know that you are going for the quality stuff--which is great so please translate this into the quality product. My kids go through SOOOO much paper painting and stuff and the cheap copy paper doesn't work for paints, but the painting paper is often expensive so we started buying 4x6 blank notecards. They are cheap and a heavier weight than normal paper.

I thought of them because they would fit in your caddy, but maybe some nice paper comes in a 4x6 size or 3x5. They are also nice because frames already come in that size and they work as postcards or greeting cards.

I also wanted to add that my kids love doing collage, so some gluesticks or paste would be great. Recycled greeting cards are great to cut up. We love using tissue paper. Maybe add some blunt scissors, glitter, or sequins. I don't know, I would definitely get the nice coloring stuff, but it is fun to make stuff sparkle too!

Amy

[tinasquirrel]

A pencil sharpener to fit the brand of pencils is a great idea. Especially if they are those triangular kind or whatever.

Amy, great idea about the blank notecards! I was trying to figure out what kind of paper would fit in the little caddy since it seems like the slots aren't too big and really aren't meant for paper. I was thinking of giving some paper separately, but the notecards might be a good compromise.

I'm sure they have tons of art supplies already (don't we all, LOL?), but I'd like to get them started on the nicer stuff since I know that is the way that she is headed.

I was also thinking about making some of those little blank books to put in there too. I don't know how to do that, but I'm sure I can find something somewhere. I seem to remember SouleMama talking about it on her blog a long time ago.

[minimunklemama]

We have that caddy and we LOVE it::::.perfect for little hands and big hands.We have the furbys a double pencil sharpener,a couple of pairs of scissors,our Giotto markers,a ruler,eraser,glue stick and a couple of brushes.We (me!!)like to keep our stockmars in the boxes that they came in.
I am seriously thinking about getting another for our glitter/pipecleaners etc.
BTW you don't need a special sharpener for the triangle furbys,just a large sharpener.

[tinasquirrel]

Originally Posted by minimunklemama

We have that caddy and we LOVE it::::.perfect for little hands and big hands.We have the furbys a double pencil sharpener,a couple of pairs of scissors,our Giotto markers,a ruler,eraser,glue stick and a couple of brushes.We (me!!)like to keep our stockmars in the boxes that they came in.
I am seriously thinking about getting another for our glitter/pipecleaners etc.
BTW you don't need a special sharpener for the triangle furbys,just a large sharpener.

Thanks Natasha! I'm so glad to hear a great review about the caddy! I'm excited about this Christmas present idea. So much room for creativity in the presentation, and not just another toy that will get forgotten about in a week.

[AngelBee]

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[tinasquirrel]

I am definitely adding these little blank books!

http://glittergoods.typepad.com/glit...1/bookish.html

Amy at Let's Explore gave me the link after she mentioned little books as a great "Keep the Kids Busy Activity" on her blog.