A drawing I did as a child of my sister, our horse, our dog and my hamster.
I have always loved to do artsy things. I am a long time doodler. I have been doodling and drawing for as long as I can remember. Above is a drawing I found that I drew as a child. I’m not sure how old I was when I drew it.
Even now as an adult, I still find myself doodling and drawing whenever possible.
I am NOT an artist. Not even close. But that is OK with me. I’m happy to draw my silly dogs and horses, and color then in with crayons. In fact, I find doodling, drawing and doing anything artsy like that to be very soothing and relaxing.
Here are a few more examples of stuff I’ve doodled over the years, and things I’ve colored. I tend to favor crayons.
Super Broccoli!
Some Christmas coloring pages I did a few years ago.
The Life Cycle of a Frog I did for a Kindergarten program I used to work in.
A drawing I did based on one of my favorite books I had as a child (authographed by the illustrator too!).
I tried my hand at “drawing” on the computer using one of those special pens and mouse pads.
As a parent, and as someone who works with young children, I think it’s very important to let them explore the various mediums when it comes to being creative and engaging in artist activities. Coloring with crayons, painting, doodling with a pencil, ceramics, Play Doh, glitter pens, colored pencils… anything related to art is something that should be readily available for all children.
If art wasn’t so important to our lives, why would it be taught in school, most especially at the elementary school level.
According to the site Backlight;
Creating art expands a child’s ability to interact with the world around them, and provides a new set of skills for self-expression and communication. Not only does art help to develop the right side of the brain, it also cultivates important skills that benefit a child’s development.
In addition, art is a lot of fun to do, and it keeps a child active and away from computer and tablet screens. As a parent, I would much rather my child be drawing a picture of their house then playing the latest game craze.
Art is also a great activity for a child to do when they are traveling.
I recently received to review a really cool art kit from the company called Bright Stripes. They carry a plethora of arts and crafts kits for children, and some for adults too.
I received to review their iHeart Art Mash Up Art Pack Glitter FX kit (sells for $23.99). This kit comes with;
- 12 metallic watercolors
- 8 glitter gel pens
- 8 glitter markers
- 2 paintbrushes
- 25-page art pad and a Techniques Guide
I will tell you that I am not a fan of glitter, per say. I like sparkly things, but I don’t like actual glitter. It’s messy and it gets on everything. I made a project at home about 5+ years ago and there is STILL glitter on my dining room table. I cannot get rid of it!
What attracted me to this kit is the glitter pens and markers. I can have the “glitter experience,” without all the mess. I was also very curious about the metallic watercolor paints. I have never seen metallic ones before.
The kit comes with everything neatly contained inside. In addition, the kit also comes with a pad of blank, white paper, so you can get started right away.
Just look at those gorgeous colors! Every color of the rainbow is represented in this kit.
I am in love with the metallic paints and those colors. I haven’t had the chance to use them yet.
It’s hard to see from this photo, but the metallic paints really are metallic looking. I have never seen them before.
I’ve been using the glitter pens as regular pens, in addition to doodling with them. They have some glitter in them, but not too much, so it’s not “over kill.” It just adds a wee bit of sparkle to whatever you are using them for (writing, drawing…).
The markers have fine tips to them, so they are great for coloring in small areas. Because the tips are fine, I wouldn’t recommend using them for large areas, only because you might end up ruining the tip and it won’t be so fine. That is the case with any fine tip marker.
I think it’s great that the kit makers included a booklet on tips on how to get the most out of the contents in this kit.
I cannot wait for some free time so I can really get involved in this wonderful kit and take full advantage of it’s contents (most especially those wonderful metallic paints!).
I love that everything stays inside the kit, so you don’t have to worry about where to keep the contents. When you are finished, simply return them back to their specific spot in the “kit.”
This is just one of many art kits available. Similar kits include;
If you are interested in checking this, or the other kits out, visit BrightStrips.co (notice it’s .co, NOT .com). The brand is also found on Facebook and Instagram. Those links are found on the bottom of their website.
What do you think about these special art kits? Do you think your child, grandchild (or even yourself), would enjoy them?
Kimberly
*I received a free sample to review. There was no compensation. The opinions expressed are my own and not influenced in any way.
