National Parks Watercoloring Kit Review for Homeschool Families

As part of the Timberdoodle Blog Team, I have received complimentary access to this product. I have not been compensated for my time reviewing the product and producing this review. I have not been influenced in any way and my opinions on this product are my own.

Finding hands-on activities for older homeschool kids can sometimes be a problem, right? There are approximately eight million adorable craft projects available for the little kids, but once you get into the tween & teen years? The options can start to feel a little more limited.

What gives? The big kids like to be creative, too!

This is just one of the reasons why I was excited to try the National Parks Watercoloring Kit from Timberdoodle. It’s designed for ages 13 & up, combines art with some pretty incredible places around the United States, and gives older kids an opportunity to learn actual watercolor techniques while creating (gorgeous) artwork they’ll actually want to keep.

Plus, you know I love any homeschool resource that gives us an excuse to connect different subjects together!

Curious about my thoughts on the National Parks Watercoloring Kit from Timberdoodle? Let’s chat!

What is the National Parks Watercoloring Kit?

The National Parks Watercoloring Kit is a guided watercolor art kit featuring landscapes inspired by well-known National Parks. Instead of handing my kids a completely blank piece of water color paper and telling them to figure it out (holy moly, overwhelming!), the projects feature pre-outlined landscapes. The kids can focus more on learning how to use the watercolors, blend colors, create layers, control the amount of water they’re using (amen!), and add depth to their paintings.

The kit also includes (my favorite part) step-by-step video tutorials that demonstrate the painting process. Kids can pause the instruction, replay a section when needed, and work through the paintings at their own pace.

And, possibly one of my favorite features as a homeschool mom – all of the supplies are included.

I’m telling you, I’ve got enough on my plate as it is without having to worry about picking up some random art supplies I’ve never heard of before!

Watercolor Art for Older Homeschool Kids

I especially appreciate that the National Parks Watercoloring Kit is intended for older kids. Timberdoodle recommends it for ages 13+ and eighth grade and above.

Spoiler alert – I used this kit with my 12-year-old seventh grader alongside his 15-year-old ninth grade brother. Both did well.

While younger kids have plenty of opportunities to paint, draw, cut, glue, and create, I think it’s just as important to continue offering those creative opportunities as our kids get older. The differences is that older kids don’t necessarily want something that feels like a cutesy little-kid craft.

This kit, containing the spiral bound National Parks Watercolor Book and a tin container of 50 watercolors alongside paintbrushes and a water sponge, gives them a more sophisticated project while still providing enough guidance that they don’t have to already consider themselves “artistic” to get started.

The pre-outlined designs can be especially helpful here, too. Instead of getting frustrated because they’re struggling with drawing a mountain or a landscape exactly how they imagined, they can concentrate on learning the watercolor techniques being taught. It’s kind of like a “paint-by-number” set without the numbers, you know?

Our Experience With the National Parks Watercoloring Kit

One of the biggest wins for me what that my kids were able to complete the entire activity independently. They could follow along with the instructions, work through the painting on their own, and didn’t need me hovering nearby to help every few minutes.

They actually watched the video tutorials on their phones rather than using a TV or laptop. Usually, the kids would watch instructional videos on their laptops but…one of my kids (cough, cough…the 12yo…cough, cough) spilled a glass of water on his laptop a few weeks ago. Even though he and my husband were able to get the laptop functioning again, it just doesn’t run like it used to. Ugh!

I was worried that the smaller screen may make it more difficult to see what they were supposed to be doing, but it wasn’t a problem at all. They were both able to follow the tutorials successfully and complete their paintings without needing my help.

And…there was no fighting. No arguing. No complaining of any kind. Which ,if you’ve ever attempted an art project with multiple kids at at the same time, you likely understand what a miracle that is.

I was also really impressed with the quality of the watercolor set itself. It didn’t feel like a cheap set of kids’ paints that happened to be included with an activity. The watercolor paints come in a metal tin, which was a nice little detail. There’s just something about opening a nice tin of art supplies that makes the whole experience feel a little more special. It made the set feel fancy and much more grown-up than your typical kids’ art set.

The National Parks theme was another big win for our family. We love to travel and incorporate educational travel into our homeschool days whenever we can, so even flipping through the National Parks Watercolor book has us talking about places we’d like to visit someday. A painting could easily turn into, “Wait…where is that park?!” followed by looking it up, talking about what we’d want to see there, and mentally adding yet another destination to our future travel list.

I love when a homeschool resource does that! The kids may technically be sitting down for an art activity, but it can spark an interest in geography, nature, history, or an entirely new place they want to experience for themseles.

Most importantly, this wasn’t one of those homeschool activities that sounded great in theory, but required me to basically complete half of it myself. No thank you. My kids could grab their phones, pull up tutorials (they’re easily accessed via a QR code in the spiral-bound watercolor book), follow the instructions, and create their paintings independently.

Quality art supplies? Independent kids? No arguing? Ideas for future family adventures? I’ll take that homeschool win!

More Than Just an Art Project

That National Parks theme is probably my favorite part of this particular watercolor kit because it opens the door for so much additional learning. It’s not “just” an art project!

Before starting one of the paintings, take a few minutes to find the National Park on a map. Look at photographs of the actual landscape. Find out which animals live there. Learn about its famous geographical features or discover why the area became a National Park.

Although it’s very tempting, believe me, you don’t have to turn it into an entire unit study. Even spending 15 or 20 minutes learning about the location before painting it can add some geography and science to your art lesson. Of course, if the kids become interested and want to keep learning…run with it! I’m all for going down random rabbit holes when they can lead to an exciting educational exprience!

A Screen-Free Activity for Teens

Another bonus? This is something kids can do without staring at a screen for the entire afternoon. Yes, the instructional component uses video, but the actual activity gets the kids working with their hands and creating something physical. They can pause the tutorial whenever they need to and concentrate on their painting. The video is just one part of the activity and not the main focus.

If you’re actively looking for more ways to get your family away from devices, you can also check out my 100 screen-free activity ideas for plenty of other ways to create, explore, play and connect.

Who Would I Recommend This Watercolor Kit For?

If you ask me, the National Parks Watercoloring Kit is worth considering if you have an older child or teen who enjoys art, wants to learn watercolor painting, likes nature or National Parks, or simply needs more creative activities in their homeschool routine. This set would also pair wonderfully with your United States geography curriculum or state studies, too!

It could also be a great fit for a child who is interested in watercolor painting, but gets intimidated by a completely blank page. The combination of the pre-outlined landscapes and video instruction gives them a starting point while still allowing them to do the actual painting. This can make the process of learning how to watercolor way more approachable and way less overwhelming.

And, because the finished projects feature beautiful landscapes rather than childish designs, kids can end up with artwork they may actually want to display! In our home, I’ll definitely be displaying the finished works of art in our homeschool area – I’m so impressed with how beautiful they turned out!

National Parks Watercoloring Kit: Final Thoughts

One of the reasons I enjoy trying resources like this is because homeschooling doesn’t have to mean spending the entire day working through textbooks and worksheets.

Art counts. Creativity counts. Learning a new skill totally counts! And, when you can take an art project and use it as a jumping-off point for learning about geography, nature, National Parks, and places your family might someday visit? Even better!

If you’re looking for a guided watercolor experience created with older kids in mind, the National Parks Watercoloring Kit from Timberdoodle is definitely one to check out.

Until next time, stay safe, & enjoy quality time with your family,