As a teacher, especially one at the elementary school level, you will rely on art supplies day after day. To start, you can utilize basic school supplies such as paper, crayons, paint, and markers to make do for your art class. But as your students learn more and become interested in additional projects, you may have to upgrade the art supplies that you have in your classroom.
With younger children it is a good idea art supplies kids to have a large variety of art supplies. This way they can get a good feel for what is available, as well as what they can do with every type of supply. Although you and your students may not use everything that you have, it is better to be safe than sorry. If you start with basic art supplies for schools you at least have what you need for simple projects.
Do you have paints in your classroom? If your answer is no, now is the time to make a change. Younger students can do great things with paints, including finger paints and watercolors. The good news here is that you can now find a very nice line of washable paints in all different colors. Of course, for many years finger painting has been a popular activity among young students. While this can lead to messy projects, in the end both you and your children will be happy.
As a matter of fact, it seems that frequently the messier the project, the happier the children! But, if you are going to let the young Michelangelo’s free with finger paint or any other kind of paint, be sure that you have some form of cover-up to protect their clothing. The proper cover-up will make you a hero with all the parents. There are various kinds of cover-ups available, from sleeveless vests and aprons all the way to very nice full protection. But, recognize that you don’t necessarily have to buy these things if your budget is tight. Just ask each of your students to bring a large plastic garbage bag to school with them and then cut holes for arms and heads. It will work out fine for everyone concerned.
As students get older, they will still need all of the basic art supplies detailed above. Of course, you will need to buy a few other supplies as well. For example, finger paints are no longer going to do the trick; older students don’t want to spend the day with their hands in paint. Older students need more advanced art supplies. What this means is that at some point you need to buy at least various brushes and paint palettes so that these older students can move on to watercolors and then for those who are really talented, the big step…oil paints. Of course, depending on the grade level you are teaching and your school supplies budget, there are lots of other art supplies that you can add to the mix, including: airbrushes, spray paint, paint sponges, frames, pastels, clay, and pottery wheels. With a broad range of art supplies such as this, advanced students have a better chance of learning more and becoming deeply interested in the subject of art.
Every school needs the right art supplies. If you move into it gradually, you can soon develop a great range for students of all ages to choose from. Those that we discuss above are some that you definitely may want to consider buying at the right time.