We are reviewing the cutest set of easy to hold, mess free, affordable tempera paint sticks.  With six kids in our house, I am always cleaning looking for ways my kids can do MESS FREE arts and crafts.

I was thrilled to be given the opportunity to review Thin Stix 6pk of Classic Colors tempera paint sticks from The Pencil Grip, Inc.

Thin Stix 6pk of Classic Colors

There are many reasons you will want a set (or if you are like me you will want multiple sets) of these Thin Stix 6pk of Classic Colors in your home or office.

• 6 Classic Colors
• Easy To Use
• Uncap, Twist & Paint
• No Mess
• No Fuss
• No Water Needed
• Solid Tempera Paint Sticks
• Dries in 90 Seconds
• Won’t Crack or Split
• Paint like finish
• Great on poster paper, cardboard, wood and canvas

Here is a video from The Pencil Grip, Inc demonstrating their tempera paints.  They have a regular sticks (Kwik Stix) and a thin sticks (Thin Stix) sizes and lots of additional colors are available too. Check their website for more information.

How we used Thin Stix 6pk of Classic Colors:

Art Classes:

We have a subscription to online art lessons through Creating A Masterpiece that teaches the kids to use various paints, pencils, pens, charcoal, etc in making masterpieces.  We have used various art supplies for their Art Classes, however these Thin Stix 6pk of Classic Colors gave us a whole new art experience.

They were easy to hold and dried quickly and we had no mess to clean up. They are great for painting large areas with a single color.

The only down side is that we didn’t know how to blend the colors or to get really fine detail with them. If there was a way to narrow the tip of the Thin Stix even more, then we could have sharpened up the details of our pictures.

But over all we like them and I am adding more sets of these wonderful Thin Stix tempera paints to their homeschool art supplies for their art lesson projects.

Father’s Day Bookmark:

Father’s Day is coming up soon and we decided we needed a cute project we could make for dad. We checked out the Better Handwriting At Home blog by The Pencil Grip, Inc for some craft ideas. One of the projects their blog featured was using a hammer coloring page  made into a Father’s Day card. My husband is a master carpenter and the kids agreed that a hammer is just the right gift for him! But instead of making a hammer into a card that is only used once, my son wanted to make a handy hammer bookmark for Dad’s bible that he could use everyday.

We searched on line for a free hammer coloring page and printed out copies for the kids to use.  We got our supplies together that included: Thin Stix 6pk of Classic Colors , a glue stick, file folders to make a strong back (a cereal box will also work), a pencil, and a pair of scissors. You can also use a laminator when you are done to help them last even longer.

Next step was to paint their pictures. It was so easy to use. It felt almost like panting with lipstick or a tube of chap-stick. But not greasy. Instead it was smooth and dry.

There is no smearing or smudging. The paint dries very quickly. We were not able to blend colors, but that was fine for this application. As the kids got used to using them, they learned how to press lighter or harder to create a different textured look.

The paint dried smooth before it was completely dry. That is nice. We tried to rub a little off with a paper towel where he had pressed to hard and got it too dark, but it is difficult to remove once the paint is on the paper. So my advice is to press lightly and add more later if you need too.

By the time he was finished painting his hammer, it was completely dry. There was no waiting necessary for him to move on to gluing the hammer onto the file folder. We have never had painted crafts progress so quickly! Next, he cut out the shape of the hammer through both layers of paper and folder.

The file folder backing gave the bookmark enough strength to stay straight when being handled. It won’t bend out of shape during repeated use.

On the back side of the bookmark, he decided not to paint it, but instead drew out the design of the hammer and wrote a scripture message to Dad. He got out his cursive workbook for reference to make sure he wrote his letters very neat.

He did a great job and I am certain Dad will enjoy it and get a lot of use with it.

Father’s Day Card:

My daughter wanted to make something a little more feminine and came up with a card that features a pair of praying hands and the bible verse “Our Father” that Jesus taught us to pray.  She used the Thin Stix 6pk of Classic Colors to create “painted fingernails” on the praying hands so they resembled her own hands. For this project we found a free coloring page online with a scripture.

She chose this specific scripture because it talks about our Heavenly Father and how HE leads us and takes care of us EVERYDAY.

“Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.” Matthew 6: 9-13

She chose to paint the finger nails, because she loves it when her Daddy paints her nails. She painted the nails green because her favorite color was not an option in this Thin Stix 6pk of Classic Colors set.

She said the green paint was the next best option.  She has asked me to order the additional colors of Thin Stix for her birthday so she can have “Pink” and “Purple” and “Light Blue” which are her favorite colors. Thankfully Thin Stix 6pk of Neon Colors will work perfect for her.

To make her Father’s Day card, she glued along one edge of two pieces of construction paper and pressed the edges together to create binding for her card. After painting the finger nails on her coloring page, she used scissors to cut out the hands and the scripture and glued them onto the front piece of her card. She put another message inside her card. I think her Daddy will really like her card and the special touch of the painted fingernails.

Garden Pots:

We plan to paint some cute bugs on flower pots next. We also saw this project on the Better Handwriting at Home blog. Our spring garden is really coming along nicely. Be sure to check out the stories on our garden and updates. We recently bought a stacking 3 pot planter system on our last grocery trip. I plan to plant it with herbs later this week. If the weather cooperates and time permits, then I plan to use the Thin Stix to paint some bugs and designs on those pots and then plant them.  I will try to post an update garden story about it next week.

DIY Art Kits:

We also have two birthdays coming up and both birthday kids have requested a set of Thin Stix paints for their birthdays. So inaddition to adding these to our art supplies at home for art classes, I have ordered additional sets for both kids (the Neon pack for my daughter and the Classic pack for my son) and made DIY Art Kits for them.

These Thin Stix tempera paints are “take anywhere” and “mess free” so they are perfect to take on the go in the car, or to a game, to sit outside and paint a scene from nature, or if they want they can even color in bed.

DIY Art Kits are portable, can be easily carried, and are light weight so the kids, or mom (I want to make a kit for me too) can sit anywhere and have the basic art supplies they need to create something beautiful.

For these kits, I used a re-purposed container. I saved a see through zippered plastic pouch from a bed sheet set. This container is the perfect holder for their kits, they can see everything in it at a glance, and they will fit nicely in a shoulder bag or backpack.

DIY Art Kits include:

Thin Stix 6pk of Classic Colors tempera paints, Mixed Media Sketch Paint Pad, Charcoal Pencils, Graphite Pencils, Colored Pencils, Pencil Sharpener, Eraser, Ruler, Gel Pens, and a small Watercolor Kit, various Paint Brushes (not pictured) and a sponge.

The paint brushes for the DIY Art Kit are back-ordered so I didn’t get a picture of them yet.   I am hopeful they will arrive in time for their birthdays. I wanted to keep these kits mess free and easy to use. Thin Stix are wonderful for keeping them mess free, but sometimes you want to use watercolors too. These brushes will help watercolor paints to be less messy because they hold water in the handle of the paint brush. For the watercolor brushes all you do is squeeze the brush then dab the brush onto the dry watercolor and use it.  Then to clean it just squeeze the brush again so water reaches the brush and wipe off on the sponge before you get your next color.

I think my kids will really enjoy using these homemade portable DIY Art Kits. I am thankful for the opportunity to try out the Thin Stix 6k Classic Colors tempera paints and we are excited to include them in our portable travel kits and our art supplies in our home.Stay tuned for pictures of other projects we make with our Thin Stix! They are a lot of fun, mess free, and so easy to use!

The Pencil Grip, Inc.

The Pencil Grip, Inc is a world renown company and leading manufacturer of ergonomic writing aids and therapeutic toys and educational products.

The Pencil Grip, Inc specializes in unique products that have many applications. These products help correct hand position, dexterity, and reduce stress on the hands and knuckles. They help control the grip of the writing instrument and improve performance. Their products are fun to use and help motivate hesitant learners too.

The Pencil Grip, Inc company was created by educational therapist Dr. Lois Provda in 1992 and their products have many decades of successful use in pediatric occupational therapy and classroom settings. Fast forward to today, the company has grown into an irreplaceable resource for hundreds of unique and innovative products for the home, school, and office. Millions of parents, teachers, and therapists worldwide have used these products and believe in the value and methods.

Social Media

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Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/KwikStixPaint/boards/
Blog: http://handwritingathome.blogspot.com/

Homeschool Review Crew

Be sure to check out what other families on the Homeschool Review Crew to say about using Thin Stix 6pk of Classic Colors with their kids.