MacGuyver Monday: Reusing Art Supplies

We go through a lot of art supplies in my home, and that means I can constantly wishing for ways to use the leftovers. I already know about the melt leftover-crayons-in-a-muffin tin trick (and to be honest, my daughter started crying when I showed her the result and wailed, "what have you done to it? They're all mixed up now!", so I won't be doing that again). So here are a few ways to recycle art supplies.

1. Paper scraps make cool collages. See if your kids can work them together into a paper crazy quilt.

2. Crayon bits can make cool melted wax creations. Just put a piece of paper on a warm hot plate and let your child drop the crayon on it. They can push the melted wax around with silverware. Be. Very. Careful. I'm told that dropping melted crayon wax on cloth makes some cool batik effects.

3. Leftover finger paint can be stored covered in the fridge. It might form a skin--just peel it off.

4. Leftover colored pencils can be made into stunning works of art if you have a lot of time on your hands.

4. Dried markers can be rehydrated with a little nail polish remover, or used dry on a wet watercolor painting for a new effect.

MacGuyver Monday is a weekly feature at my blog, SageMommy Says.