• Home
  • About
    • Contact
  • Blog
  • Subscribe
  • Shop

Real Life at Home

  • Family Life
    • Parenting
    • Family Time
    • Teens
    • Travels
      • Disney
  • Recipes
    • Easy Recipes Index
    • Beverages
    • Appetizers and Snacks
    • Canning/Preserving
    • Breads
    • Breakfast
    • Main Dishes
    • Side Dishes
    • Desserts
  • Create
    • Crafts and Projects for Kids
    • Easy DIY and Projects
    • Homemade Gifts
  • Learn
    • Printables and Worksheets by Age and Subject
    • Homeschooling
    • Book Lists for Kids
    • Play
    • Teaching Life Skills
  • Holidays
    • Valentine’s Day
    • St. Patrick’s Day
    • Lent
    • Easter
    • Mother’s Day
    • Father’s Day
    • Independence Day
    • Halloween
    • Thanksgiving
    • Christmas
    • Birthdays
  • Catholic
    • Catholic Printables
    • Catholic Activities
    • First Communion
    • Catholic Monthly Activities
    • Catholic Word Search Printables
    • Saints and Heroes Printable Packets
  • Printables
    • Printables and Worksheets By Age and Subject
    • Exclusive Printables for Subscribers
    • Terms of Use
    • Coloring Pages
    • Word Search Printables
    • Catholic Printables
    • Crossword Puzzle Printables
You are here: Home / Art, Music, and Drama / Art in a Box: Conquering Art Phobia
advertisement

Art in a Box: Conquering Art Phobia

June 3, 2011 By MichelleH · Disclosure: This Post May Contain Affiliate Links. {I may be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.}

59shares
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter

For a long time I suffered from a condition I like to call Art Phobia. After speaking with many other mothers I discovered that this is a fairly common condition. I also learned that my case is quite mild, since I know parents who cringe if someone gives their children play dough for Christmas.

To set the record straight, I was never afraid of the mess, and once we began homeschooling I felt it was my job to give my children the gift of art. Plus, I had plenty of old towels, t-shirts, and tablecloths. No problem. I was more annoyed by the huge chunk of time it took to gather supplies, set up an activity, clean the mess, and put the materials away. How was I ever going to find the time to do all of that and prepare dinner or do whatever else needed to be done that day?

Enter the art box.

advertisement

I filled a plastic crate with everything we might need to complete a painting project. On painting day (something we’ve added to our weekly rhythm since making nice with Waldorf), a rainy day (a.k.a. hurricane season for us), or any day we need to shake things up and have some fun, I can grab the box and bring it out to the kitchen table. Within five minutes, we can all be happily painting. Having everything portable and in one place made a huge difference, and I actually look forward to painting day now. Needless to say, the kids enjoy more opportunities to paint and a less stressed mama.

Here are some items to consider when putting together your own art box:

  • Plastic File Crate – Technically, any box will do, but I bought several colorful plastic bins for $3 each during one of those “deck out your dorm room” sales at the end of the summer. They come in tons of fun colors, so the box itself adds an element of fun.
  • Vinyl Tablecloth – Sure, you can use a pretty vintage table cloth, especially if you snagged it for fifty cents at a garage sale. But really, I don’t need more laundry. The vinyl wipes clean with a wet towel, and I usually find them on clearance after holidays.
  • Old T-shirts – I like to keep an old shirt for each child in the box. My oldest can certainly find her own shirt in her room, but it does make it easier to have them in the same place. The older child can even help the younger put their painting shirt on while you set up something else.
  • Empty Jars or Cups – Baby food jars and washed out yogurt containers work great for mixing paints and for holding clean water to wash brushes.
  • Old Towels or Rags
  • Paper
  • Paints
  • Paint Brushes
  • Oil Pastels – These are great for watercolor resist paintings, but you could use crayons in a pinch.
  • Other Art Items – Think of things that might keep a toddler or preschooler busy for an extra ten minutes while an older child finishes a painting. Items they might use to add on to their painting or to alter a previous piece of art include collage items, glue, scissors, stickers, sequins, and anything else you can think of and find room for in the art box.

Join 27,000+ Other Awesome People

Subscribe to the Real Life at Home weekly newsletter to get our latest content, exclusive free printables, learning activities, and ideas for celebrating with your kids all year

Success! Now check your email to confirm your subscription. P.S. It's important that you confirm or you won't receive any more emails with free printables, fun tips, and other helps to make your life just a tiny bit easier.

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

Powered by ConvertKit
59shares
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter

Filed Under: Art, Music, and Drama

About MichelleH

Michelle is a wife, mother, writer, and Cajun who prefers everything extra spicy. Follow along at Raising Cajuns, for more real world Waldorf inspiration mixed in with the rest of their eclectic homeschooling.

Previous Post: « Wrapping Up Your Homeschool Year
Next Post: Father's Day Crafts for Small Children »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Roan says

    June 3, 2011 at 7:05 am

    I love this idea! I also love colorful plastic boxes, so that makes me happy too! I have an art cabinet in my schoolroom that keeps the supplies that you mentioned keeping in your art box, but I think the box may be a good idea for me…..I need to utilize those art supplies. Having an art day once a week sounds good to me. If I put something on a list, like “art day on Tuesday”, it is very likely to get done. Thank you for that idea as well. My children will thank you to when I declare “art time” and get everything out.

    Reply
  2. treen says

    June 3, 2011 at 5:03 pm

    Our “paint shirt” solution is to use old shirts of mine and my husband. They cover the girls’ clothes entirely and it doesn’t matter that anything gets on them because they were just going to be cut into rags anyway.

    Reply
  3. Nicki says

    June 4, 2011 at 4:34 pm

    Great ideas! I am not gifted in art, but I somehow wound up with a daughter who is. I did provide some very simple drawing books and tools when she was small, and I think the supplies and encouragement paid off. She is very talented!

    Reply
  4. Nicole says

    June 6, 2011 at 8:05 am

    An art box is a great way to let children experiment with different art supplies – great job! I used to keep an art box (a dishpan bin) and would change the supplies out for my son weekly. This is what he was allowed to do whenever he wanted, and then once a week we’d have a more structured art time doing a specific art project planned by me. I can’t tell you how much he loves his free art time when he can create whatever he wants! His “art box” has recently turned into a whole art cart, which is also getting a lot of action. 🙂 I’ve found that the enjoyment he gets from art experiences, the time it frees up for me (to be honest), and all that he learns from it is well worth the time and energy it takes to clean up afterwards!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Connect with Real Life at Home

  • Bloglovin
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Meet Angie

Angie, mom to three very fun kids, is the founder of Real Life at Home.  With degrees in elementary education (B.A.) and special education (M.S.Ed.), as well as being a former homeschooler, she is passionate about supporting both parents and teachers by providing printables, crafts, and activities to help children learn and grow. Read More…

Search

Today’s Trending Posts

Printable Stations of the Cross for Children (Booklet and Reflections)
Illustrated Stations of the Cross List for Kids (and Adults)
14 Stations of the Cross List - Free Simple Lenten Reflection Printable
On the Road to Easter: Lent Word Search Printable
Draw and Write Stations of the Cross Activity: Printable Stations of the Cross for Kids
Saint Patrick Printables and Worksheet Packet

Footer

  • Home
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclosure Policy
  • Cookies Policy
  • Terms of Use and Conditions
  • Disclaimers

Amazon Affiliate Statement

Real Life at Home is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com

Categories

© 2006 - 2021 Real Life at Home / Tiny Owl LLC. All Rights Reserved. | Built using the Genesis Framework and hosted on WPEngine.