Toddler craft box ideas

[TheHappyCamper]

Hi, I am looking for ideas to put in an arts and crafts box/drawers for my dd. She is coming up 20 months so I plan to build it up over the next 6-12 months for her.

I have Mr Maker's doodle drawers in my mind at present! I already have wax crayons and playdough. I know he seems to use an awful lot of PVA glue!

Where is good to buy craft stuff? Any good ebay shops? Anywhere on the high street?

I would include:

scissors (kids ones)

pva glue

glue stick

pipe cleaners

masking tape

coloured paper and card

scrap paper

old magazines for collages

old cards (from birthdays and christmas)

tissue paper

crepe paper

felt

string

paint

paint pots and brushes

clitter

small pots containing things like rice, lentils, pasta etc for toddler to stick onto card with pva glue, or to make shakers with toilet rolls.

Old tubes/boxes/packaging that can be used for junk modelling.

Felt tips.

Obviously some items require adult supervision, some don't, but presumably he would have adult supervision.

The world's the limit really, anything can be used for creative purposes.

forgot all the natural things you can collect:

Sticks

conkers

leaves

pine cones

hay

etc etc

loads of posibilites for collages with that lot!

We have two boxes ( kids are six, four and two - but we've had the same system for a couple of years now). There is a 'drawing box' which they are allowed to access themselves, and a sticking box, which they can only use under supervision.

Drawing box has:
crayons,
double sided sticky pads,
double sided sticky tape,
various papers and felt,
foam shape stckers
as well as various things collected fro the fronts of kids mags etc.

Sticking box has
scissors,
glue stick,
Pva glue,
glitter,
card blanks,
brushes and rollers for paint
Stampers and ink pads from the front of mags
Playdough and cutters etc

Poster Paint is kept way out of reach! I don't stock felt tips- far more trouble than they are worth ime. I find natural stuff too hard to store indoors. I use the lid of the box as a tray, which stops the glitter Etc going all over the place.

I forgot feathers and pipe cleaners! Big toddler success with those

Definately scissors. We had to try out several types before hitting on the perfect pair. Don't bother with those plastic blade 'only cut paper' types - even an adult would struggle to make them cut paper. We got a pair with a plastic spring that makes the opening and closing action easy. A bit like these

Obviously they could cut themselves (or their hair!!), so you have to have rules about only using under supervision, and not walk around with them etc.

Our craft box has lots of stuff from the pound shops in - loads of sheets of stickers, crayons, chalk etc for next to nothing
Also I keep old kids catalogues - JoJo Maman Bebe, Mothercare etc. for them to cut up and stick. In fact when DD was small I used to spend whole evenings butchering catalogues for her, so she had loads of happy little pics to make a collage out of on a big sheet of paper - kept her quiet for hours.
You can't go wrong with a big tub of PVA glue. Many times it is the actual dabbing on of glue that is the important part, rather than the sticking of anything

We also have a huge tub of various plastic sparkly things, googly eyes, shiny stars etc. that come out for the sticking. I'm such an old skinflint that after the kids have finished and the glue has dried I brush the shapes all off the paper (pva glue is not that strong) and put them back in the tub. Obviously I keep the odd picture for the fridge as a token gesture

www.economyofbrighton.co.uk/

the site above is a good one, the foam paint brushes & block paints are great for toddles, much less mess :), also art straws, & the do some great little wooden puppet shapes to draw on/colour in, stick things on, also great at that age

The Works

www.economyofbrighton.co.uk/merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=lollipoppuppets

sorry forgot the [[....that link takes you to the lollypop puppets...the packs of masks are good too

Great ideas here. I find wilkinsons good value for art supplies. Dd1 picks up free magazines whenever she sees them and can spend a whole afternoon cutting, sticking and drawing!

Thank you very much to everyone who has taken the time to reply. There are some great ideas here.

I like the idea of some things she can do on her own, then some things which would be kept for supervised activities. I definitely DO NOT want to risk her cutting her hair ... it's only just grown . Those scissors look good.

We have a wilkos near us so will look in there. DH thinks there is a Works in York so might check that out next time we are there.

I will get some sponges rather than brushes for paint until she's a bit older I think. I will be chopping up all my old magazines this week I think.

Thanks again

Yellow moon is a good Internet site. Also try £1 shop and 99p store as they have some good stuff. Tescos do a good book of stickers fairly cheaply. Alphabet stickers are great for making cards.

Yes there is a Works in York. Boyes is good for cheap craft stuff too.

our doodle drawers have all the above plus googly eyes.