Advice on your rules for easel use

[maylips]

The good: DD LOVES her M&D easel brought by Santa.

The bad: She wants to play with it off and on throughout the day.

The ugly: Ok, this thing is MESSY. Especially for a 2 1/2 year old.

So what do you do? I don't want to stifle creativity but I also don't want to be trying to get paint off of all of her clothes, making sure she's always wearing a smock when she gets close to the thing, or that her paint, markers, etc have their tops on so they don't dry out.

How do you handle the mess?

[SnuggleBuggles]

We bought one for our 2yo and the only thing I have out for him are crayons and paper. He is plenty happy with that. :)

When he is older he can have more interesting art supplies out but we aren't there yet unless I provide 100% supervision...which isn't going to happen at the moment. I want that to be an anytime toy and don't want to have to be right beside him during use.

Beth

[smiles33]

In addition to paper and crayons, we leave chalk out for her. No paint or markers unless supervised.

[Charlie]

DS is only 19 months but we got him an easel about 2 months ago after he enjoyed one at a friend's house. I only let him have access to the chalkboard side of the easel, and leave Crayola sidewalk chalk out for him. I love that he can scribble whenever he wants and chalk is easy enough to clean up if he doesn't always use it as he is supposed to.

[mikeys_mom]

My kids love putting on their smocks before they use the easel. They just know it is part of the rules for using that toy. I originally only had a few markers and chalk accessible when DS was younger and we first got the easel.

Now that DS is older and can pretty much get to any art supplies that are not locked up I just go with the flow. Yes, there have been some major messes but fortunately our easel is in the basement and the carpet stains are out of sight. I plan on removing that area of the carpet eventually and replacing it with laminate.

Oh, and I have given up on caring about markers getting dried out. We have a large container of markers that I replenish as needed. It was just way too much effort to constantly be looking for the covers and getting upset about it.

[JTsMom]

There is no way on earth I would leave paint on the easel 24/7, even with a 5 year old- that's a recipe for disaster imo! I just pull it out on random days when I can supervise.

DS is 4.5, but we got his easel for him at 3.5. The first couple of days, he was confused about which side is for chalk, and which side is dry erase, and which markers were regular vs. dry erase, so the chalk side has some marker stains on it, but I try not t let that throw me- I just figure it's going to be a messy toy.

The marker lids- I have no real solution for this one. It's ust a matter of teaching them to do it, and I doubt it's going to happen at 2.5, so I'd either make it my job, or only allow markers when I was there to watch. They do make capless ones that you can click open and shut, but I don't think the average 2.5 yr old could work them.

I don't really worry about clothes. I won't let him play around the house in his really nice stuff, so if something really does get trashed (which is rare), I don't really care. When we paint, I put paint clothes on him, otherwise it's a free for all.

[kristac]

Maybe this would help with the caps?

http://www.discountschoolsupply.com/NewDSS/Product/ProductDetail.aspx?product=1246&mlc=

[ellies mom]

I keep colored pencils and sidewalk chalk at the easel for every day use. I don't like dry erase markers so we just keep paper over that side of the easel. I pull the paint out when I feel like supervising.

[alien_host]

DD is 4.5 and I don't keep the easel in the house. It's always been in the garage. She uses it outside when it's warm out.

If she wants to paint in the winter I get out water colors and we do it at the table or I might carry the easel inside.

She does plenty of art projects indoors just at the kitchen table (crayons, colored pencils, water colors). She does plenty of painting projects at school at an easel that I don't find it necessary to have it out 24/7. Ours was a handme down from a neighbor so I don't feel bad that we don't use it much.

I'm very afraid of dry erase b/c that really does not come off of clothes etc easily.