Your ideal "arts" space for DC

[AmericasTorturedBrow]

Moving DD (3yo) out of cot into the trundle bed under her brother's (6yo). They share a room now so the cot will free up some space and we're using the opportunity to redo it for them.

They play well together and spend loads of time in their room. Both into reading, Lego, arts crafts if I could ever be bothered to do it shudder as well as role play with plastic tat and toys. Their room isn't massive and as we already have the main pieces of furniture that would just be moved around we can spend a bit on the more superficial stuff.

So, my question is, if you were going to create an arts space/station, what would you ideally put there? We have a decent sized kids height table we thought would go along one wall, next to the ikea-hacked Lego table (which already has tons of Lego storage attached), and those ikea rails with pots for pens, crayons and the like. Their art materials currently fill two boxes - one for paper/activity books/stickers and the other for pens, crayons an paints. I'm just just not shit hot at working out how to do easily accessible storage for this kind of thing, but also need some fun ideas for artsy stuff for them to use.

On the other side we're moving the bed and small bookcase to create a reading corner, with the old cot mattress on the floor as seating and a canopy overhead, maybe with a wall lamp or two? Also my mum is making them a doorframe puppet theatre which can be folded down and packed away easily.

This is their Christmas present btw so any ideas to make it seem more special than jut moving furniture highly appreciated!

It sounds like you've got it all covered! I'd add more playdough toys and make them playdough once a week. If you want them to keep their models, you could try air dried clay once in a while.

The only other thing to think about is, where are you going to put all their works of art? You could get some big card mounts made up, to frame their work and rotate what is on the walls.

Do you have aprons for them and a way to protect the things in the room, for when they're painting?

At that age, they just need your time so they can have supervised time to do things.

Glue, glue sticks and glue pens? Glitter?

What about beads?

Blank cards are a good idea, and a tray to keep scraps of things they like, such as the labels off clothes or wrappers, to use as scrap pictures. Add photos of them.

Take photos of their drawings and paintings and small versions can be printed off to add to cards.

I like the tray idea. We have a ton of recycling that DS has pilfered so need to find a way of storing that .

Display wise we have that ikea tension thing with hooks that works well

Yes protective covers is a good idea

What "crafty" stuff can I get and his do I store it - stuff they can just sis and make shit out of, not proper crafting which I end up doing most of myself and looking like a Pinterest fail?

Cutting/ripping
folding
layering
building
colouring, drawing (lots of different implements and surface options. )
Sticking (lots of options of what to stick, on what, and with what.)
Dried beans and pasta to paint and stick on things.
Modelling (junk modelling or playdough/clay, paper maché)
Threading
using cloth and yarn...cloth can be stuck on things and wrapped around to make a harder shell than paper maché.)
You could show them craft DVDs and have the things they need set up in the room. They are going to need someone to show them new ideas.

If you want something to occupy them without them making a mess needing your attention or input or help etc then TV is going to be your best bet!

You can get plastic drawer stack units to keep things in.

A lot of good crafts happen outside, I'd do junk modelling and massive pictures outside in the summer.

Our attic was converted into a playroom when DS1 was six. Recently got a plastic box storage unit with colourful labels on them. Got some old Mason Jars and filled them with crayons, poms poms, pencils and other craft stuff. New television on wall, DS plugged Xbox in straight away. Books and DVDs have been organised by DD1. Risked putting a computer up there but has proved to be okay so far!

thanks - I'm going to keep clear of tv/games console for now as we manage fine with one tv which the PS4 plugs into at the moment...it's more for DH than the kids, if we put a tv with console in their room I'd never bloody see him!

I think we're looking at a decent storage system that can hold small and large arts'n'crafts items, so prob back to Ikea, some kind of pots/jars that can hang of be shleved immediately above the table so they immediate access to colours, glue, bits and pieces. I might try to mount some wallpaper lining paper to the wall so they can just pull it out onto the table to use as basic drawing stuff.

DS has taken to selotaping bits of his artwork above his bed so now looking into mounting a metal sheet and getting some magnets so he can do that a bit easier...we already have art display in the kitchen

This is our art space: www.pyjamaschool.co.uk/art-space-tour. How about a box of recycled materials for making and tinkering?

Have you had a look around Pinterest for playroom, craft room ideas? What about a blackboard (or other dark colour!) wall or panel, or using merallic paint rather then panel to display pictures, or even a gallery wall with light, easy to change picture frames that you can swap around regularly?

For reading area, a nice rug, some nice mini chairs or cushions. Sounding like a Pinterest and ikea obsessive, maybe that shallow shelf to display favourite books front - out? And you'd struggle to better Ikea trofast for storage unless you went bespoke IMHO.

An arty thing that has had the most use from my two was a set of safety scissors wih different novelty 'blades'. So wiggly lines, jaggedy ones etc etc. Something silly like £3 for a pack of 8 from Asda.

And maybe a couple of books aimed at kids to give them ideas of what they can make and how. Perfect for when you do t really what to direct their play. AGAIN.

The puppet theatre sounds amazing... Where did you get the idea from?

freckleonear that's a lovely art space! We already have that easel but it never gets used so I'm going to sell it on to make some room. I think I need wider flatter drawers than trofast does but easy to open like them, ideas anyone? We have loads of large pieces Of paper/cardboard/recycled materials/stickers books so maybe up cycling an old chest of drawers?

Puppet theatre I totally stole off Pinterest but I looked at all the ones featured and thought my mum could prob do a better job

I have been looking through Pinterest for ideas but so much of it looks, well, "displayed" as opposed to practical, if that makes sense?

Thanks for display ideas, but DS is enjoying putting up his own stuff higgly-piggly on the wall so I need something easy for him to do (he'll be 6 soon), we already display some favourite pieces in rotation in the kitchen using an ikea wire and clips thing