What do I need to put in dd,s craft box and where do I get it all from?

[Knickers0nMaHead]

2yo dd is taking an interest in arts and crafts but I have no idea where to begin! Any ideas appreciated please.

Pens, crayons, paper (differnt colours is good), paints (if you can stand it!), stickers (a must), old magazines to cut up and stick in a scrap book, childrens scissors, pritt stick glue, any old bits of 'tat' you get like bits of ribbon, wool, old grretings cards, tissue paper etc. should be good start! ELC has a good range of more interesting craft bits, or a catalogue such as Yellow Moon when she's a bit bigger.

I large piece of paper with the words

"This would be your craft box but I can't stand the mess that it will make so enjoy crafty stuff at playgroup,nursery and school"

written on it.

Wilkinsons is fab for craft stuff. I kitted DD out in Feb and we still have loads of it. Steer clear of glitter though otherwise you will be wearing it for weeks

The Works has very cheap craft stuff.

Pound shops here shops here do a fantastic amount of sequins feathers beads rolls of stickers sparkly paper

Water colour paints in boxes are less messy than poster paint.

I agree with Trinity. Play Doh, Crayons and stickers are as far as we go in house. Nursery is for paints and sticking.

pasta shapes are good to introduce if bored with feathers, beads, paints - glue them on to paper and then paint
loo rolls/kitchen rolls for doing tube stuff, eg making telescopes

Do not put any of the following in the box

PVA glue, it will leak
Glitter glue, ditto, and it's got fecking glitter in it
Felt-tips
Glitter, in any way shape or form
Anything small and fiddly (sequins, sticky jewels)
Any foam sticker things where you have to take the backs off the sticker as you wil spend hours doing it.
Stampers and ink pads
Paint in any form

Do use
Pritt stick
foam shapes
ripped up wrapping paper, tissue paper, crepe paper
short lengths of wool
googly eyes (which are hysterical, apparently)
crayons
feathers

Add in cereal boxes, loo rolls, any junk mail catalogues.

(I do not always follow this advice. And wish I had)

Sorry, meant to add, I put an assortment of crap bits like this in a shallow storage box, sit DD's down, hand them pritt stick and paper and leave them to it.

Thank you everyone. Lots of fab ideas here. I actually dont mind paints and glitter!

You can get pritt stick type glues that come out coloured but dry clear, which are good for youngsters. I know Tesco do them.

Knickers you say that now!!

YY coloured pritt stick is fab, DD2 uses that quite happily.

Do you have carpet in the room you want to do crafts?
Glitter is a complete fecker to get out of it....

Paint I am ok with as long as they are both sitting in tehir booster seats and can't get down without assistance as invariably we get onto finger painting, which leads to palm prints, which leads to paint up to the armpits and then war paint on the face, which leads to a morning bath... (bear in mind I have 2 painty children to cope with, but they do love it!)

but if you give them glitter then you will find a piece in your eye once a montyh for the next 8 months
you wont ever get it out of the carpet

you will find a bit in your food

your children will leave a trail of it wherever they go....

It will stay in your bath forever.

Your DH will go to an important meeting with some on his face 2 months after you last used some

ok, no glitter!

Gosh lots and lots of ideas here. We have tried most of these things including glitter. I must admit my DS absolutely loves it and will spend an hour which is amazing especially as he is only 2. I shall have to try the pasta and loo roll.