Written by contributor Amy Thompson of Progressive Pioneer.

Our family picks and chooses which art supplies we search out green sources for and which we pick up at our local box store.  Ideally we”d buy only green art supplies, but they are a tad pricier, so we try to invest in healthier versions of those things that pose more of a risk to our kids, like  play dough.  No, seriously.

Hardly a day goes by that our son isn”t up to his elbows in clay.  While the homemade stuff if great, I don”t always have the time, so we love the Eco Kids Eco-Dough

.  Another one we”ve tried and liked is Clementine Art, though their clay has a bit more of a household cleaner smell than the Eco Kids line.  Although that didn”t stop my nephew from eating it…  No one panicked however, since their labels read more like a a recipe than a scientific formula.  Modeling beeswax

is also a great, non-toxic alternative to regular play dough.

Our son isn”t much of a finger painter, preferring brushes and  stamps to direct contact with the paint, so we buy the grocery store  stuff.  If your kid is more of a hands-on painter, try this luscious paint set

made with natural vegetable dyes.

Have you ever known a kid that likes to bite the tips of markers and crayons? I don”t know what it is, but there seems to be something irresistible about it.  If you know one of these little chompers, you might consider investing in beeswax

or soy-based

crayons and some all natural markers

.

A few more favorites are this German-made blackboard chalk, these colored pencils

made with plant extracts, and these fun

.

Do you bother buying your kids “green” art supplies?  Which have you tried and loved?