Sensory Input for Back to School

A few days ago I got an email from the amazing folks behind Craft City. They wanted to know if Liam would like a Slime Swag Set for back to school. Of course that answer was a resounding yes!

Sensory Input Back to School Style

Now I know all too well how much fun it is to make slime. It’s one of mine and Liam’s favorite ways to spend time together. However, we don’t always have that time, especially during the school year. With that being said, there’s still a need to have slime because it gives Liam wonderful sensory input, and also keeps his hands busy during lessons. Busy hands means he focuses more on me instead of looking around the room and trying to find something to occupy his empty hands.

So when Karina and her team from Craft City asked if we wanted some premade slime, our answer was yes! They did not disappoint! A mere two days later a bunch of slimy fun arrived on our doorstep.

Soda Slime

Let me tell you, this slime smells absolutely fantastic! When my son opened it, I could smell it sitting across the room from the him. He got Orange and Grape soda. Craft City also has Cherry Cola scented and Lemon Lime Soda as well. Your kids are sure to love this four pack of premade slime.

Super Slime

This may very well being one of Liam’s favorite types of slime. He loves the colors and glitter. His favorite is Fire and Ice. It’s an orange slime with gold glitter (two of his faves,) and it even has plastic chunks of “ice” inside. He loves manipulating this slime to expose the ice and pick them out. The four pack also comes with Mood Ring slime which changes colors with heat.  Metallic slime, and Glow in the Dark Rainbow too.

Galactic Slime

Inspired by space, this four pack of Craft City premade slime is out of this world! It comes with Blackberry Blast Off, Martian-mallow, Milky Way Cereal, and Green Apple Goo. The green apple smells exactly like a hard candy. The Milky Way Cereal looks and smells just like a fruity cereal. Plus it has foam balls for even more sensory input.

Glitter Slime

If glitter is your thing then you’re going to love the Craft City Glitter Slime four pack. It comes with glittery fun in blue, gold, rainbow and pink.

More Fun From Craft City

These are just a few of the fun activities and sensory items from Craft City. You can make slime, lip gloss, and more. There are even kits to color your own squishies too! Karina sent Liam two keychain squishies, and two of those balls that you squeeze and parts of it pop out. He hasn’t put them down since they came!

Markers or Watercolors and Paint Brushes?

    It's back to school season. If you homeschool like us, or even have a child that loves art, you'll be purchasing art supplies too. Money is tight, so we're always looking for ways to save it. So should you get them markers or watercolors and paint brushes? How about both, in one convenient pen?

Markers or Watercolors and Paint Brushes?

    Liam gets his love of crafting and art from me. I homeschool him, but use a cyber school, so they send most of the items he needs for the year. However, we always buy his art supplies. He loves to draw and to color, as well as paint. But with money being tight, I can't always afford new markers and watercolor sets each year. So what do we do? That's easy. Grab this set of Watercolor Brush Markers from Lasten.

Color with a Marker, Get the Watercolor Effect

    We love this set by Lasten. The tips come to a nice point, but act like a brush. You get the ease of coloring with markers, but it looks as though you painted with watercolors. The only difference is the colors are more vibrant. So it looks as though you used very concentrated water colors. It's gorgeous!

    The Dual Tip Watercolor Brush Markers come in a pack of twelve. However, since they are dual tipped, you're actually getting twenty-four colors. One end is a dark color, and the other end is a lighter shade of the dark color. I love that because it helps to teach kids more about shades of color.

Lettering, Coloring, and More

    You can use these watercolor markers to color in your books. But you can also use them to create beautiful lettering. Use them in scrapbooks, bullet journals, and so much more. I guarantee you're going to love them as much as your kids. (So you may want to get your own set.) ;)

Art is Important Too!

    I home school Liam with a cyber school. Though I love them and most of their lessons, I feel that there needs to be more of a focus on art. After all, it's important too! Being an artist myself, I make sure that we incorporate it into our daily lives. Because learning happens everywhere, and when you least expect it!

Art is Important Too!

    To me, art is any way you can express yourself. Whether it's sketching, painting, sculpting, or even writing poetry. Sadly, for many brick and mortar schools, art classes are nixed due to funding. Even in cyber school, there's not much focus on the arts. I however know what it's like to have a creative mind and need an outlet for it. I also know how important it has been in my own life, so I make sure I expose my son to various forms of art in his life.

Self portrait from 1st grade (finger paints)

Self Portraits

    One of my favorite projects to do with Liam is self portraits. Each year as we begin a new school year, his first art assignment is to create a self portrait. I give him his sketchbook, and allow him to use any mediums he desires. He has grown from using finger paints and crayons, to markers, to colored pencils, and now even uses chalk pastels or watercolors.

    What's amazing is seeing how your children view themselves. And then seeing how that changes from year to year. You will notice how the little details like eyes and ears will vary as they learn better ways to draw. It's fantastic! I gather them up and file them away, so that each year when he is finished, we can dig them out and compare them.

Lasten Sketchbooks

    I happen to love this set of sketchbooks from Lasten. You get two books. One is large (16.5 inches by 11.4 inches,) and the second is smaller at 11.4 inches by 8.3 inches. They paper is of amazing quality. It's smooth, pure white, and thick. You can sketch, draw, paint and more in the Lasten Sketchbooks. My son loves the handles on them. They're perfect for taking anywhere you or your child roams. It's back to school season, so grab some for the upcoming school year. Then get outside, and have an art lesson in the yard, or at the creek! 

You Don't Need to be an Artist to Expose Your Kids to Art

    It's true, you don't! With the internet we can now access various tutorials on drawing, painting, sculpting and more. If you're like me, you'll join your child and learn with them. It's a great way to bond and to keep your own brain fresh and open to new learning. 

    We're currently learning how to sculpt. It's something I have always wanted to do, but was never much good at it. However, we found this young lady on YouTube that creates kawaii sculpts and so we have been watching her and learning that. It's a great way to expose your child to a new art form. Who knows, maybe Liam will be sculpting more in depth pieces soon!