Safer Art Supplies
April 14, 2009
I hate to be the bearer of bad news but even art supplies contain chems we don’t want our kids choking down and you know all our toddlers eat crayons and finger paint, regularly. Even the state of California has a list of art supplies that children in grades 6 and below cannot use, because they aren’t safe ( I’m not sure that makes them safe for grades 7 and up? ).
Next time you’re on the hunt for art supplies, try one of these fun, earth friendly options – safe for consumption ( if it should happen ). They make great gifts for young kids on your list!
CRAYONS
Traditional crayons are made of paraffin wax, which is obtained from petroleum. Prang soy crayons are made with environmentally friendly soybean oil and natural pigments and are certified non-toxic.
Crayon rocks are a great birthday gift because they are unique. Made from soy wax and tinted with natural mineral powders, crayon rocks are shaped like pebbles and make holding them easier for little fingers. See below for a chance to win a free set!
Crayon recycling – don’t throw away your crayon stubs, send them wrappers and all to Crazy Crayons, a crayon recycling program that has kept over 43,000 pounds out of landfills.
PLAY DOUGH
One canister of YoHoHo Dough contains all the ingredients to make 4 pounds of dough.
DIY – If there’s a DIY option, why not? It’s cheaper. Nature Moms has a great list of recipes for playdough, from simple playdough to peanut butter playdough.
PAINT
Fingerpainting is arguably my daughter’s favorite thing to do and I recently stumbled upon these great natural fingerpaints made from plant, fruit and veggies extracts from Eco Kids USA.
DIY – if you’re a do-it-yourself kind of girl, this recipe for homemade fingerpaint has ingredients you already have in your pantry.
RECYCLED PAPER
Pick up a pack of recycled construction paper the next time you’re at an office supply store. Office Depot carries a line by Riverside Paper for $1.39 per 50 sheets.
KEEPING IT CLEAN
Art smocks are a great way to protect clothing from stains ( and keep your laundry down! ). Make sure to find one that is vinyl free. While modern oilcloth is a very popular fabric, it’s made with vinyl so best to choose a safer alternative. These smocks from the Land of Nod are PVC free and come in several designs.
Splat mats are used on the floor under art projects and make cleaning up easy. They, too, can be found in safer fabric and darling designs.
As always, check the label. If there are any warning signs like ‘harmful if swallowed’ – put down the product and walk away quickly! DANGER, WARNING, CAUTION or ‘keep out of reach of children’ should also be heeded – find a safer product.
FREE STUFF – Courtesy of the wonderful Stubby Pencil Studio, we are giving away a set of crayon rocks and a sketchbook to a lucky winner. You can enter to win by checking out www.stubbypencilstudio.com and leaving a comment on what product you’d love to have by Sunday, April 19 at 11:59pm PST. Contest open to all U.S. and Canadian residents, ages 18+. We will choose 1 winner, at random, and will notify them by email. Privacy Policy.
Comments
Stubby Pencil Studio rocks! My nephew has some of the crayon rocks, and they not only work well for coloring, but they are awesome for the imagination. I would also love one of their kaleidoscopes or the beeswax crayons or any of their stationery!
I absolutely love the Envirosax at Stubby Pencil Studio. Mikado 5 is my favorite, but they are all beautiful. The ones for kids are just as cute!
I love the 9×12 Recycled Sketchbooks!
I like the Ecologic Colored Pencils.
The crayon rocks are very cool! Also love the maped pencil sharpener cans. Perfect for little hands! Everything is very reasonable priced and very earth friendly. Found great favors to use at my son’s next birthday party!
I love the notecards that the kids can color. I especially like the 6 Little Friends set. They are adorable!
That’s a neat site! I really liked the Envirosax, and I adore those monkey pencils, though I can’t help but to think that they would be stolen by jealous admirers! Those could possibly make me a pencil user.
I like the Baby Blocks
I would love the Natural Playdough!
i love the smencils!!!
I’d love to try the Smencils. I imagine that they’re way cooler than the oddly intoxicating Mr. Smelly markers I used to use.
The crayon rocks are so neat! So are the beeswax crayons. Fun!! =)
The Kinderfest Tri-Color pencils look like they come in great colors.
I would love to try the erasable crayons.
What a wonderful site! I’ll be shopping from here soon! The watercolor paint set looks wonderful! As do many other things!
I love all their stuff, but I think my kids would love to try the erasable crayons.
I like the lunchbugs. The jungle print is a lot of fun. I love this site
I want to try the washable tempera paints. The colours look great!
I love the recycled notecards for kids to color. What a fantastic idea! The birthday card pack is my favorite.
My son would get a huge kick out of the erasable crayons :O) What fun stuff!
I would love to try the natural paints. My three year old daughter loves to paint and fingerpainting is her specialty. I would prefer if she used a chemical free paint.
My daughter loves her crayon rocks and would love some cards to decorate with them.
Envirosax
So many great things to choose from…I really liked pencil sharpening cans. Sometimes my son is more interested in sharpening the pencils than drawing with them.
I would love to try the Watercolor EcoPencils. I love what they can do and that they are made from FSC-certified wood. Thanks!