Because Kids Will Eat Crayons

I remember one of my first babysitting experiences clearly. “Amy”, who had just turned three, was  normally a sweet and well behaved child. On this particular evening, however, Amy was not.

She did not want to do the craft I had planned, and she did not like the books I’d brought. She proudly announced that she “liked to be bad”. I knew we were headed straight for a meltdown; I just wasn’t sure which one of us would have it first.

In desperation, I picked up a discarded marker and drew a face on my hand – you know the kind where you make a fist, put eyes on your index finger, and a mouth on your thumb - and then made my fist talk. To my amazement, Amy burst out laughing, and drew her own face on her hand. It turned our night around, and we had fun for the rest of the evening creating faces on our fingers and flowers on our feet.

I love getting out the art supplies and doing crafts with kids, but since that night I think I’ve seen it all, from licking paint off of fingers to exploring the taste the of a crayon. I by no means encourage these activities, but I have learned two things:

(1) regardless of how careful you are, they happen the moment you turn to pick up the crying baby or answer the phone, and

(2) kids love using their bodies as canvases, and allowing them to do so is pretty much a no fail way to keep them entertained (and me sane).

As they say, if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. I am not scared of the mess involved in mixing kids and art, but I have become afraid of some of the chemicals in kids’ products generally, and in art supplies specifically. Not willing to give up my number one sanity saver or my commitment to keeping the kids and the planet safe, I went in search of eco-friendly, safe alternatives.

Here are some of my favourites:

Stockmar Watercolour Paints: Made in Germany from non-toxic, food grade ingredients, these paints are safe if ingested, and safe for the environment. They produce beautiful results, and are highly concentrated (dilute 1 part paint to 10 parts water), so one set should last a family a year or more, even if your artists paint weekly. ($50.95 for a set of 6 paints)

Lyra Skin Pencil Crayons and Skin Paint: With these pencil crayons and skin paints, kids can create all the designs they desire on their bodies, without you having to worry about chemicals getting into their bodies. Made in Germany with food safe ingredients, they are easy to use, water soluble, and wash off easily with just water and a bit of soap. (Skin Pencils $18.99, Skin Paints $35.99).

Stockmar Beeswax Crayons: Made from a base of beeswax with food-grade colouring, these crayons smell amazing and produce gorgeous pictures. They are also completely safe and non-toxic, and virtually indestructible, so you can say goodbye to broken crayon bits. ($29.99 for a set of 6 block crayons and 6 stick crayons).

Stockmar Modelling Beeswax: Think plastecine, without the mess, chemicals, and weird smell. This beeswax based modelling clay, made from food-safe ingredients, is great for creating a variety of different figurines, and can be used over and over again. It feels lovely in your hands too. (29.95 for a set of 12 colours of wax).

All art supplies available at ape2zebra.ca