Every year my kids get some new art and school supplies.  Some years we just need the basics like crayons and paints but other years we have a long list of supplies like pastels, dot markers, or fingerpaint.  The kids are always excited to get new supplies – especially the ones that pertain to art. 

So, to celebrate the new school year and have some fun with the school supplies, we have a back-to-school scavenger hunt on the morning of our first day.  I hide their supplies somewhere in the house and then I leave clues scattered about.  The kids – led by Curly – race through the house to find and follow the written clues.  At the end of the hunt is a pile of new supplies that they can take to the school room.