School's out for summer, and we thought it would be fun to make a little art kit for kids that you could have on hand to take with you wherever your summer adventures may go. Whether at home, on vacation, or at Grandma's house, you can fill up a box with a stash of things to keep kids engaged and creating all summer long. I keep this one at my office for Ruby for when she comes by! These also make for a perfect custom gift anytime of year for that little budding artist in your life!

Here are some of my favorite things to put in the kit (this one is geared towards ages 2-5 and could be adjusted for an older or younger kid):

1. a glue stick (the kind that changes color when dry!)

2. gel crayons and homemade crayons

3. stretchy cord, pipe cleaners, and wooden beads for making necklaces

4. textural things that can be glued down, like googly eyes, squares of tissue paper, and pom-poms which can be store in small divided containers.

5. lots of sheets of paper and things that help attach papers like washi tape and paper clips

6. items that encourage 3-D thinking like play-doh and fun shaped erasers

We used these awesome little suitcases for the kit which you could also paint and decorate with a name or fun phrase. We simply used vinyl letters to make a word, painted over it with acrylic paint in a pattern, then peeled off the letters once the paint is dry.

To make these custom crayons, simply break up old crayon pieces and put them into a silicone baking mold and bake at 230 degrees for 15 minutes!

The best part about the art kit is that as they go through the supplies, it's easy to re-stock and change up the items inside based on their current interests. Right now, Ruby loves stringing beads and using washi tape on everything. So as I refill the kit, I always like to add some new things in there that Ruby's never seen or used before to get her excited for new ways to make and create!

{Photos by Casey Brodley, styling and production by Julia Wester}