Required staple if toddlers in the discovery learning phase

Toddlers in the home permanently or for holiday visits? 
Go ahead and pick up the Mr Clean Magic Eraser variety pack

The end of year blogosphere is filled with posts the best of, the top 10, thanks, and I am still honing my time management skills with the toddler. As with many 2 year olds, the discovery of pens, pencils, crayons, and markers is one aspect of discovery learning. For the holiday she received the Step 2 Deluxe Artist Desk to support her creativity and discovery learning. Washable markers and crayons are the tools we would like them to use everyday but every now and then the toddler acquires a pen. For some reason walls are required as one canvas choice during the discovery learning phase of creativity and boundaries. 

As much as you want to encourage wall art using chalkboard paint or IdeaPaint, being a tenant in leased housing does not allow one to do what they would do to walls if they were home owners. As many of us discover ink doesn't always come out of clothes and can be challenging to remove from walls depending on the wall covering. So I thought I would try Mr Clean Magic Eraser Variety Pack.

It worked. The standard canvas is back to the Step 2 Deluxe Artist Desk but I know if the toddler decides to use the wall as her canvas we can recover without major meltdowns.

I am still looking for options to repair the tips of the styluses. Part of her discovery learning is removing the soft tips. Until then, we will work through the bundle of 14 colorful stylus universal capacitive touch screen pen. Any recommendations on replacing the soft tips removed by the discovery learner?

Here is to making it through another day, another week, and enter 2013 with health, happiness, tinkering, practicing platform agnostics, and learning from others as well as our decision making processes.

Comments, +1s, and reaction check boxes are always welcome.

IdeaPaint finally makes a debut in the SW Augusta Lowe's

About 45 days ago I was at  my local Lowe's and inquired at the paint department and customer service about the location of IdeaPaint. I was shown chalkboard paint and said no, IdeaPaint it is like a whiteboard paint so I can write on the walls with dry erase markers. The paint department sent me across the aisle to customer service.  At customer service, she called the paint department and asked if she knew anything about the paint I was looking for, of course the same response. She asked where did I learn about this paint, and my response was through the net, particularly from my Twitter network. 

You can order IdeaPaint from the IdeaPaint website or from Lowe's. My preference was to purchase it at the store or special order it and pick it up at the store and receive the 10% military discount offered by Lowe's. 

Last weekend, as I walked in the front main aisle, I saw this display at the edge of the paint department. While I was happy Lowe's now carries IdeaPaint in the store, I thought how much cooler would it be if the area above this display had an operational piece with IdeaPaint so people could write on it with a dry erase marker and experience the product.

IdeaPaint display at SW Augusta Lowe's

I appreciate Lowe's bringing IdeaPaint to the physical storefront. If you do purchase the IdeaPaint, there is a list of items you want to purchase in addition to the IdeaPaint:  Glidden Gripper or Killz Primer, a separate roller for the primer, and typical paint prep accessories such as tape, 120 grit sand paper,  rags for clean up, and you need to let IdeaPaint cure for 7 days. Plan on vacating the room and set up for ventilation as the odor is quite different than standard paint.