Trying to figure out if this can possibly work without ending up with feathers and googly eyes stuck all over the house. I want to make the art supplies more accessible somehow, so they get used more frequently than just when I remember to offer them. What's your set-up like? Right now she only has full time access to crayons, markers, paper, scissors and glue.

How is Lydia? I can't remember.

We have a cabinet with everything but paint available to the older boys. It's been that way since Ian was about three I guess. Now that Connor is crawling, I keep a child lock on the cabinet (that the older boys can undo) and keep the smaller items on an upper shelf. I do occasionally have to remind them to keep the cabinet locked after they have gotten what they need, but they remember for the most part.

They have access to glue, paper, child scissors, pipe cleaners, googly eyes, foam shapes, beads, dried beans, play dough, crayons, string, tape, and washable markers. Paint and other markers are available by permission only. We used to have glue sticks, but they left the caps off of them and they dried up, so we use regular Elmer's school glue now.

I think I have been pretty lucky, I have had to scrub marker off of the table a few times and peel a few things off of the floor, but neither of them have done any major damage to the house with the art supplies. I do frequently remind them of the rules and that if they break the rules, they lose the privelege of free access. This is what happened with the markers.

i think it depends on the age and temperment of your child(ren). my boys have free range to all of it, including paint. they are 8,7 and almost 4...it's been that way since the youngest was nearly 3.

fortunately for me, my children are the sort who ask me first before getting out something likely to make a mess (paint, for example...) and we have an entire room dedicated exclusively to school and school stuff. art stuff is in there.

Mine do. Not tempera paint though, but only because it's in my preschool box in the back of my car (I teach preschool at our homeschool class day).

I find that my kids use everything more often if I leave it accessable for them. The boys don't make a mess, but Marlie....She's another story...

My now 6yo got a Klutz book with self stick googly eyes in it and we have eyes on the whisk and the lamp! LOL!

There was an acrylic paint explosion in the *computer* room where we keep supplies. Luckily the paint only ruined the carpet in the middle of the room - no paint got on any of the furniture or the baseboards!

Mine never ask 100% of the time although they are supposed to! I chalk it up to having children and try to only have non-toxic things or easier to clean up things like Crayola Model Magic versus silly putty! (The acrylic paint accident happened naturally the first time I ever bought any! Usually I buy washable paint.)

We don't use markers... only my permanent ones and dry erase for their whiteboards. They get all over clothing, bodies, etc... so we just don't get them.

Also... the paints are up up up. Nathan has an easle in his room and he has all sorts of paints, but he doesn't use them often at all.

Also, scissors are not out, too. There is a reason Lauren doens't have long hair... and it has not been my choice. :( She (or a brother) have cut her hair way too many times.

my DD does. We have all our supplies in the craft room so if she wants to do something messy all she has to do is grab the box & work right there. she can bring the more tame supplies into the living room if she wants.

It's not the obviously messy stuff that drives me nuts though. it's things like the entire package of pipe cleaners all over the house!

Chole

My ds has free access to any craft things, but he doesn't use it very often ~ he's never been really intersted in any arts and craft type things.