Get Creative With Eco-Friendly Art Supplies For Kids

Almost all kids love art projects and most parents do, too. Art projects are not only a great way to while away a hot summer afternoon or a cold winter evening, they also encourage creativity and imagination. Plus, you get free decorations for your house!

Many conventional art supplies intended for children include chemicals and other substances that aren’t very eco-friendly. Fortunately, there are plenty of great eco-friendly alternatives!

Help Honeybees With Stockmar Beeswax Crayons

Traditional crayons, such as the popular Crayola brand, are made from paraffin wax, a petroleum product. Stockmar Beeswax Crayons, on the other hand, are made from natural beeswax, a completely renewable and non-toxic substance made by honey bees. Purchasing beeswax crayons supports beekeepers, who in turn support the world’s increasingly endangered population of honeybees. Honeybees are the sole or primary pollinators for up to one third of human food crops, as well as countless other plant species, yet their numbers in recent years have been devastated by a mysterious malady known as Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). The exact cause of CCD remains uncertain, but many scientists believe it is a combination of stress from pesticides, parasites, and habitat loss, among other factors.

In addition to helping our beleaguered honeybees, Stockmar Beeswax Crayons also use eco-friendly, plant-based dyes that are non-toxic and brilliantly colored. The crayons come in either block or stick form, and are designed to be easy for small hands to grasp and manipulate.

Beeswax also makes a great natural alternative to modelling clay, which often contains PVC.

Go Natural With GLOB Paints

GLOB craft paints are among the most eco-friendly paints available. GLOB paints are water-based and colored with botanical pigments from fruits, vegetables, flowers, and spices such as beets, carrots, and alfalfa. These natural pigments produce bright, beautiful colors while reducing environmental impact. GLOB also uses manufacturing processes that minimize environmental impacts, and ships paints in a light dry powder form that reduces weight and saves energy during shipping.

Save Trees With Colored Smencils

Many pencil and colored pencil manufacturers buy their wood from companies notorious for their irresponsible logging practices, so as sad as it is to contemplate, school children around the country may be writing reports and drawing pictures with the remains of old growth forests.

Fortunately, there are a growing number of recycled wood pencils and other eco-friendly options. One of the most unique is Colored Smencils. Colored Smencils are made from tightly rolled, recycled newspapers wrapped around a colored core and hardened until they can be sharpened like traditional colored pencils. The pencils are then dipped into gourmet liquid scents, so they not only make beautiful pictures, they also smell nice while doing it! The scents last about two years. Colored Smencils come in 10 color/scent combinations such as bubblegum, cinnamon, and black cherry, and they are packaged in corn-based biodegradable plastic tubes.

Be Kind To Animals With Clementine Natural Glue

Glue is traditionally made from post-slaughter animal by-products, but there are a number of eco-friendly vegan glue options. Clementine Natural Glue is a non-toxic, vegan glue made from naturally occurring bio-polymers and other natural ingredients. It is clear drying and works on paper, wood, fabric, and other surfaces, yet is easily washable with warm water.

Go Green With Ecojot EcoKids Scetchbooks

Ecojot makes adorable EcoKids sketchbooks made from 100% recycled post consumer waste paper. The paper is acid and chlorine free and all inks and dyes used on the sketchbooks are vegetable-based and biodegradable. Ecojot’s commitment to sustainability extends beyond the materials it uses. Ecojot’s manufacturing plant is powered by sustainable biogas harvested from a nearby landfill, and they use corn-based, biodegradable plastic packaging.