Looking for recommendations on paint, markers, clay - stuff that's actually good quality but also won't destroy our kitchen table or the rug. My 5yo is super into art right now and the dollar store stuff is driving me nuts bc it either doesn't work well or stains everything permanently. What do you guys use?
We switched to a folding table in the garage for art time. Best decision ever. No more stress about the rug.
Get a plastic tablecloth from dollar store and tape it down. Game changer. Then use whatever supplies you want.
We did the Dollar Tree supplies for months and yeah, total waste. Switched to Cra-Z-Art stuff which is only slightly more and it's actually worth it. The markers don't dry out in 2 days and the paint actually covers.
lol the dollar store markers phase was rough. we went through like 8 packs before realizing they're all dried out immediately
This is the way - apron on the kid, plastic sheet under the table, and invest in the good supplies. My 6yo uses Faber-Castell colored pencils and Staedtler markers and they last forever compared to junk.
Honestly Cra-Z-Art washable crayons are underrated. My son used them on the actual couch last month and I was able to get everything out. Wouldn't recommend testing that, but they DO wash out.
Question - are you doing this inside? Because honestly we just took ours out to the back patio and it solved 90% of the mess problem. The other 10% is just stains on his clothes which idgaf about.
Crayola Signature line is legit. Not crazy expensive but the markers actually blend and the paint washes out. We've destroyed less stuff with their supplies than the cheap alternatives tbh.
Acrylic paint will ruin EVERYTHING. Use tempera paint instead - washable, dries fast, way less staining. Cra-Z-Art makes a good washable set.
Play-Doh is actually fine but those knockoff brands get everywhere and harden into little rocks on your floor. Stick with the real stuff.
We use Model Magic for clay since your kid is 5 - way less messy than real clay, doesn't stain, and it air dries so you don't need an oven. Gets hard eventually so they can't just destroy previous projects instantly.
Pro tip: get washable markers from Cra-Z-Art or Crayola and test them on the rug first before you commit. Some washable stuff still stains if you wait too long. We learned this the hard way with permanent markers that said washable.
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Everyone keeps saying washable but real talk - have you checked if your rug is actually machine washable? Because if it is, honestly the stress goes away and you can just let him go wild with whatever.