Creative art supplies for kids * Crayons: Try not to get upset when your child breaks the crayons or peels the paper off of them. They actually do work better that way. * Pencils: Soft black ones - 2B to 5B - work best. * Eraser: Pentel makes a great click eraser that looks like a pencil, great for watercolor papers and other fragile papers. A pink pearl eraser is a good standard eraser. * Colored pencils: Crayola makes a nice set of inexpensive colored pencils. Derwent and Prismacolor are excellent but a little pricey. Make sure that the colored pencils you get have standard waxy leads, not plastic leads. * Chalk: Crayola makes a very nice drawing chalk set that is inexpensive, but very colorful. Provide a small cloth for rubbing as well. * Pencil sharpener: Get a GOOD small hand-held pencil sharpener that has a reservoir to hold the shavings. Some are made with replaceable sharpener blades...they are the best. * Felt-tip markers: These are optional. Some children can handle these well, without leaving the caps off all day and without looking like they were the paper. Others can't. If your child can, be sure to get both broad and fine-tip water soluble types. * Oil pastels: Children love these, and use them a lot in the Sakai Art Room. Get a small set, and be sure your child knows that they are hard to get out of carpets. * Watercolors: A small set of watercolors Prang will do just fine...try to get the 'whole pan' type, with eight colors in the set (two yellows). Your child has had lots of experience mixing colors, and the larger size will last longer than the smaller 'half-pan' size with more colors. Our experience with Crayola and other cheap sets are less than satisfactory. There are some inexpensive tube sets around...get a small one, not one with tons of colors. * Tempera paint: Optional, but lots of fun and lasts a long time. Don't buy the small sets. You will be buying mostly packaging. Get a small half-pint or pint-size bottles of the primary colors (red, yellow and blue), black and white. Your child will know how to mix the rest of the colors. Use a white paper (or better yet, china) plate for a palette, a large butter or yogurt tub for water and a small sponge for drying the brush. * Paper: Why buy expensive paper? Try to scrounge for computer print-out paper, or 'printing error' paper at print shops. A ream of standard size and 11" x 17" copy paper will keep your child busy for a long time. * Brushes: The three most popular brushes are a 49 cent 1" wide utility brush (get the kind with natural bristles), a long-handled 1/2" flat brush, and a # 8 watercolor brush. With watercolor brushes, you get what you pay for. Try for a mid-range priced brush that will last a long time. * Scissors: Try to get good Fiskar-type scissors. They work so much better. Intermediate grade children can handle pointed tips, and get frustrated with scissors that aren't sharp. * Glue: Get a small bottle of white Elmer's school glue, and let your child know you expect the bottle to be 'clean and closed' when they are finished using it. They know what that means. * An old adult shirt: To keep a little bit cleaner, at least. * Junk box: A junk box is so important, but so few children have one. Give your child a box and have him/her start a collection of interesting stuff. Twigs, bottle caps, buttons, scrap wood, wood shavings, material scraps, straws, paper clips, pine cones, wrapping paper scraps, etc. "you name it, I save it" stuff. Your child will know what to do with it.