arts & crafts for little natural artists.

One thing that sounds crazy to me now that I never thought about being natural was arts & crafts supplies. I had the wood easel, woodtoys but not once did I think about the paint, play dough or crayons my daughters had. One day, during naptime, I fell down a rabbit hole of natural reading and realized I wasn't as crunchy as I thought. There could be harsh chemicals and heavy metals in the art supplies my kiddos were using.   At the time iI didn't know there were chemicals  (toluene, xylene, lead, cadmium, hexane, talc, etc..) that were in conventional art supplies. 

Why? From what I learned, companies the chemicals preserve art materials and can make them easier to use. But some of these chemicals are carcinogenic (or suspected to be so or not tested enough to be sure one way or the other). Those chemicals can get into the blood stream through skin contact, inhalation and through the experimental nature of kids putting everything in their mouth.  Uh, no thanks! I definitely didn't sign up to hang VOCs up as part of my kids final masterpiece.  That's why I live my crunchy life to keep as much as the stuff away from our family as possible. So it was time to find the most natural products available for art time with the kids! 

While I have found some great recipes for DIY play dough and honestly it seems like an awesome idea I may try out one day with 3-year-old Ivy, I'd rather buy it! And if you're like me here are my picks for play dough, paint, chalk and more:

Playdough

Eco-Dough is made in Maine. It  contains organic ingredients, eco-friendly and nontoxic. (Checks all my boxes!) You can find it on Amazon  or Eco-Kids in a six pack for about $17.  It is made with essential oils to keep the dough soft and good smelling as well. ​

Crayons 

These cute and easy to hold crayons come in pastels and primary colors. They are non-toxic crayons by Playon and made from 100% wax. These also have the European standard CE mark (which is more rigid that here in America). You can find them here for about $16.

Older kiddos will love kitpas! These work on glass, whiteboards, paper and more. They are non-toxic and water soluble. The Japanese company also make dustless chalk. 

Finger Paint 

We're back to Eco-Kids for finger paint. Their all-natural powder-based ingredients are non-toxic and our favorite for finger paints. They are vibrant and most importantly  totally safe for your little ones. The powder is handmade with plant, vegetable and fruit extracts. You mix it in a 1:1 ratio then paint away!

Paint 

Natural Earth has all our paint needs from face paint to oil paint and a tempera-like paint kit! The cool thing here is the paint is made from actual earth. The face paint comes premixed but the paint kit requires mixing. 

Where to buy?