Julie Finn
Kids LOVE to do arts and crafts and sensory activities of all sorts, and when you can make the supplies yourself (usually for a lot cheaper than you can buy them!), it’s easy to indulge your miniature Cassatts and Rembrandts.
Check out these tutorials for tons of DIY art supplies that your kids are going to enjoy creating with:
1. Chalk. Make your own sidewalk chalk!
2. Cinnamon dough. Bake this delicious-smelling play dough, and it will keep nearly forever.
3. Cloud dough. You may substitute any oil that you’re comfortable with for the baby oil called for in this recipe.
4. Colored corn. These dyed corn kernels are great for both art projects and sensory play.
5. Crayons. Use old crayon bits to make new ones in fun new shapes.
6. Drawing dough. The three-dimensionality of this paint will be a whole new experience for kids.
7. Dyed dried pasta. Make those dried pasta mosaics vibrate with color!
8. Edible play dough. These chocolate and peanut play dough recipes are really delicious!
9. Glitter glue. Easiest thing in the world! Your kids will love it.
10. Glue. You don’t have to worry about the kids wasting the glue (and oh, they will WASTE the glue!) when it’s this easy to make.
11. Glue paint. Glue and paint want to be best friends. Won’t you play matchmaker for them?
12. Liquid watercolors. Make these from dried-out markers, another gold star kid’s art supply.
13. Modeling beeswax. It’s like clay, but can be re-used over and over.
14. Moon sand. This moon sand has only two ingredients, and you can eat it! (Don’t eat it.)
15. Mud paint. Bring the outdoors indoors! Or, you know, stay outdoors. Whatever…
16. Play dough. Play dough still warm from the stove is one of my favorite craft supplies.
17. Rainbow Epsom salts. A great sensory toy, these dyed Epsom salts are also shiny!
18. Soap fingerpaint. Kids can get crafty even in the bath!
19. Scupltable bread dough. You can sculpt with this bread dough, and then eat your creations still warm from the oven.
20. Wikki Stix. Make your own bendy yarn using natural ingredients.
