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 Magic
Touch (Pamela Drake
Int.) Ages 5+ $12.00 All ages will have fun with Magic Touch painting.
We gave this to a 5 year old and a 7 year old to test and they both really
enjoyed it. All you have to do is touch the coated brush tip to the "magic" silk surface of the picture and watch the paint flow to the lines.
The black lines magically stop the flow of the paint. Each kit comes with five colors and a brush. On the back of each package is also a color chart that shows how easy it is to mix colors.
Why does this craft kit stand apart from all the other great craft kits?
Well, this one is so easy for kids to do on their own that they get this
wonderful feeling of accomplishment. Most kids under 8 really need
assistance when doing craft projects - it's nice to open a package and them them
do what they want.
 Beauteous
Beads
(The Bead Shop) Ages
8+, Our reviewer raved about this kit which was tested by her
8-year-old and this is what she had to say, "this kit is great! My 8-year-old jumped right in following both pictures and instructions with ease. The bracelets came out great - I took one for myself - they were easy to make and you were rewarded quickly with the results."
BirdBath
(Alex Toys) Ages 8
& up, $16.99
Tested by two kids who love crafts, they had a blast
painting their own birdbath for their garden! It comes
with everything you need to make the birdbath - 11” birdbath rock sculpture, 6
weatherproof paints, paintbrush and easy instructions. The kids really
enjoyed filling it and waiting for birds to arrive.
 Fashion Angels Photo Note Box (The Bead Shop) Ages 6-12, $12.99
Our
7-year-old tester, "loved the box on site!" She thought it opened funny, but liked the space inside, noting she could add her own gel pens to the top shelf space. She also immediately replaced one of the sample pictures with one of herself and her baby doll. She said,
"she likes the girls all over the box." She carted it around the first few days after getting it, and
her just found it in with the stuffed horses and baby dolls she is currently fixed on playing with daily.
She has reported to her mom that "she really like the box. It has a really cool design, how it opens up on a corner with two interlocking shelves and a drawer on the bottom of the three levels inside of it."
Her mother commented that, "the note pages are colorful and a nice small size for notes (not overwhelming to beginning writers. The four picture windows are easily accessible, though a 3x5 photo needs significant cropping to fit the 3x4 space. Overall,
she though it was a nice product and would make a great gift.
 Groovy
Girl Tremendous Treasure Box (Creativity
for Kids) Ages 6 and up, $19.99
The father of our testers opened the box and went through all of the
materials with his daughters---5 and 8 years old. Once he talked about what
kinds of things they could use the materials for, they completed the craft with
little or no adult supervision. Both daughters were able to manipulate all of
the materials and complete the craft in about 30 minutes. Our overall impression
was that the package was a nicely self-contained craft kit. It was easy to use
and very little mess was left when finished. Best of all, the boxes turned out
quite cute and his daughters have found appropriate items to store in their
creations.
 Paint
your own Backyard Wildlife Buddies (Creativity
for Kids) Ages 7-97, $19.99
Paint three stone-like animals
with special outdoor paint and give them a home in your garden, yard or room.
The kids who did this craft were six, seven and eight.
According to their mother, "they loved painting the animals and
finding spots for them in the back yard. A
great craft." Maura our reviewr says, “I liked them.
I think other people will like them also.”
 Paint
your own Watering Can and Garden Tools (Creativity
for Kids) Ages 7-97, $14.99
This project involved painting
a tin watering can and two small garden tools.
We had two kids test this craft. They
decided one would paint the watering can and the other would paint the tools.
Crafts are always popular in our reviewers house, and the kids enjoyed
using the gardening equipment that they designed.
 Sculpey
Clay Critter Magnets (Polyform Products)
Ages 6 and up, $12.99
Three children
tested the Sculpey Clay Critter Magnets kit. The manufacturer recommends ages 6 and up but
according to the mom tester, "my almost 5 year old son did surprisingly well with this clay. The kit includes an ample amount of clay for the kids to roll out and flatten. A small rolling pin is included and the clay was soft enough for the kids to roll out themselves. To make the critters the children may use plastic cookie cutters provided by Sculpey to make the shape of an animal or a heart or a star. The instruction sheet has numerous pictures to spark the children's imagination if they really want to make a very detail oriented magnet. The pictures also give the kids good ideas for painting the magnets, how to mix the different paint colors to create more colors. Adult supervision is required for the baking of the clay. Fortunately the clay shapes bake within fifteen minutes and cool very fast so that the kids don't have to wait too long to paint the magnets. This is a fun activity for both boys and girls."
Where to Buy: Ask for the kits at your local art &
craft or toy store.
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