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Must Have Summer Art Supplies

These summer art supplies are fun and unique, not to mention frugal! I bet you can find some on the list that you hadn’t thought of or tried yet. Summer is a perfect time to try new things and let the kids get a little messy outside!

Try these fun art supplies for summer arts and crafts for kids! Fun ideas, unique supplies, great summer art time | homeschooling summer art time | homeschool art supplies | art time for kids | creative art supplies for kids

While I like to keep the kids active and outdoors as much as I can during the summer, sometimes the heat is just too much. Or it may be a dreary rainy day and we need something to do indoors that does not involve the television, tablet, or computer. Art is often our first go to. It comes in handy to have things like summer coloring pages on hand, too.

When planning out some fun arts and crafts ideas for the summer I got to thinking about what supplies would take us the farthest and could be used the most so I made a list. Now I want to share it with you so you can stock your own summer art shelves. Some items are pretty much great year-round art supplies while others give your kids access to summer specific creations. Things like these stick crafts for kids are a good place for inspiration when you’re looking for ideas, too.

Remember, summer homeschool does not have to look the same as your usual routine, so don’t be afraid to try new things!

Download these FREE summer coloring pages by entering your info in the form below:

Fun Summer Art Supplies for Kids

Water Beads

I pulled these water beads from my sensory bin stock and we use them to create colored layers in vases and jars to decorate and also something similar to marble painting in which we place a piece of paper  in the bottom of a tub, add paint and a handful of beads. Then roll or shake the tub around so the beads spread the paint in unique patterns. This is a great reusable art medium — once they dry out just add water to reuse them! {Be sure to read this post for more sensory bin ideas, too!}

String/Yarn

String or yarn is a must have for everything from homemade kites to yarn art and hangers for other art projects.

Popsicle Sticks

A good basic art supply that is perfect for every season, you can upcycle popsicle sticks by washing and drying the ones from the kids drippy popsicle treats or a buy a package at the craft store ready to go.

Sidewalk Chalk

Sidewalk chalk is not limited to the sidewalk. My kids love to decorate the wooden privacy fence with their artwork and I don’t mind — it washes right away with a spray of the garden hose or a summer rain shower.

Paper Plates

A cheap pack of paper plates from the Dollar Tree goes very far to create suns, spiral art, watermelon halves, flowers, animals, fish. A great blank slate to create dozens of art pieces.

Glow Sticks

Glow sticks can be activated and used to create temporary nighttime art as they are or broken open and splattered on jars or paper. They can be mixed in bubble solution or paint to create unique night art projects. {This must be supervised and is not recommended for younger children who might be tempted to taste them.}

Sea Shells

Sea shells can be used for stamping with paint, gluing on photo frames, filling containers, drill tiny holes and make jewelry and whatever else your child can come up with.

Recycling items

Tin cans, styrofoam, cardboard food boxes, egg cartons, etc. I toss these in a large plastic tub and let the kids use them for any number of creative art projects. They are great at coming up with unique projects from these items. They’ve even made entire homemade dollhouses from boxes!

Shaving Cream

Add paint or food coloring to shaving cream for a unique art medium that works on any texture of paper (or skin).  This is ideal for outside or while in the tub — the kids love to paint the shower walls with colored shaving cream.

Natural items

Sticks, leaves, pine cones, seeds, pebbles, etc.  Large smooth stones can be painted and used as pet rocks, paper weights, garden decorations, and more. Leaves make beautiful natural collages, bookmarks for summer reading, and sticks of course can be used to craft fairy garden furniture, picture frames, or teepees for action figures. Find more ideas here: Nature Activities for Kids

My girls love these glass gems to make all kinds of crafts and decorations:

Coffee filters

Painted, tea stained, scrunched — coffee filters can be turned into flowers, parachutes, jellyfish, wreaths, wings, and more. They are simple and make a great neutral canvas for a child to turn into anything they can imagine. Check out some ideas here: 20 Coffee Filter Crafts for Kids

Water guns

Yes, water guns can be filled with watercolor tinted water or thinned craft paint to hit paper hanging on a line, on the fence, or bring the easel outside.  You can also fill with fabric dye for a unique take on tie dye.

Molds

Not the kind that grow on 2 month old cheddar — the silicone kind.  I have gathered quite a collection of molds in everything from ice cube squares to sea shells to Legos to hearts and flowers. We use them for play dough, air dry clay, and colored ice for outdoor painting.

Watercolors

Watercolors are inexpensive and a great shade and intensity for summer artwork. They can paint at home or carry them with you on a nature walk to capture what they see.

Paper Bags

Paper bags can be decorated to gather items on nature walks, turned into book covers, made into puppets, used as wrapping paper, and a host of other fun and frugal crafts.

Summer Arts and Music

The relaxed pace of summer makes it a great time to put more focus on arts and music, subjects that sometimes take a backseat when we’re in the midst of our usual homeschool year routine.

Homeschool Buyers Club can help you easily add those arts and music topics into your homeschool this summer with some of the things they offer, like:

Homeschool Buyers Club is THE place to get a great deal on curriculum and free trials, along with free gifts. Just look at all the options for free trials you can get this summer!

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  2. Reading Skills Assessment Ongoing
  3. HomeSchoolPiano Trial
  4. Code Avengers Free Trial
  5. Monarch
  6. Kids Guitar Academy Trial
  7. Mr Henry’s Music World Freebie
  8. Nessy.com Free Trial
  9. Mark Kistler Art Lessons
  10. Creta Class 7 Day Trial
  11. Math Mammoth PDFs
  12. Brilliant.org
  13. Reading Eggs
  14. Doodlemaths
  15. Smile and Learn
  16. History Alive Grades 6-12
  17. History Alive Grades 1-6
  18. Vocabulary Quest
  19. Dynamic Earth Learning (Aquaponics Course)

Just hop over to the Homeschool Buyers Club and sign up today!

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Enjoy up to 3 exclusive free gifts (a $38 value) with any purchase! Simply head to the Homeschool Buyers Club website, place your order, and upon checkout, select your free gift(s).

Fill your summer with fun and free learning from the Homeschool Buyers Club!

Sara
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