We gave our art area a little refresh today. I think there was only one thing we added however we removed a lot of materials. It's way too easy to keep on adding new materials and then bam, the area is all cluttered up. Order is important to us but this is also an area where we want the children to express themselves creatively and develop their abilities.

We have three basic areas based on the materials my children use the most. Sculpture (top left) including terracotta clay, FIMO and sculpting tools. Painting (left middle shelf) including poster paints, water colour liquids, dot markers, tempera paint and water colour palette. We have lots of paper available, we have water colour paper on the left bottom shelf and lots of paper in the trays on the right shelf. We also have a wood working tub on the left shelves at the very bottom. 

The right shelf is Collaging. I was recently asked how we store our collaging paper. It's all generally in the three containers on the bottom right corner. The paper tray always has lots of A4 and A5 white and coloured paper. The two clear containers on top have bits and pieces in them. Kite paper, transparent paper, adhesive metallic paper, colour diffusing paper, textured card, heavy card, foils and shapes. If Otis is cutting out something specific for collaging he will keep it in a seperate basket. My boys are also really into doing sculptures and all sorts of creations with paddle pop sticks (including catapults) and wire. 

I try to think about the work flow of each activity. What materials do the children need. If they need something like water, they can access it themselves. Mostly, I want to ensure there is enough things like paper, paint, glue and always scissors so that they can work without frustration or breaking a creative streak to have to go looking for something. To the right of the shelves is our table top easel and three baskets all full of recyclables for large scale construction, mostly bits and pieces from our local Reverse Garbage centre. 

I hope you have enjoyed a peek into this corner of our home! Have a great weekend!