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Tinsel Pipe Cleaners
by jrh2
Pipe cleaners are surprisingly useful for childrens crafts and after thinking up a craft idea for a preschool craft I found it was not that easy to find decent tinsel pipe cleaners.
I wanted gold pipe cleaners only but found I had to get a variety of colours because the only gold ones had 10 in a pack for £2. As I needed two ... each for forty children it was not cost effective.
My favourite metallic pipe cleaners are from Paperchase. The packet has ten each of gold, silver, red, green and blue. They bend really easily and I have never bent a pipe cleaner which has broken. The ends are not too sharp but are still not recommended for children under 3. I have cut these but it is quite hard so I don't use my best scissors. Unlike other brands the tinsel stuff doesn't fall off and cover the floor with shiny plastic. They are 29cm long which is a decent size but it doesn't always feel long when it is bent a lot. It is a standard size for a pipe cleaner though. They are sold in a clear plastic packet of 50 for £1.50. I always use these at home but for preschool, as we don't have Paperchase I had to buy Craft Planet as it was the only option.
I ended up buying Craft Planet for around £1.30 for 50. They are the same colours as the previous ones and the only difference is the length of the tinsel stuff on the wire. I would have much preferred Paperchase as they are much better quality.
I have used pipe cleaners to make arms and legs on angels at Christmas, stars for christmas decorations, shapes for cards and I am currently using them for wheels on a carriage.
I would definitely recommend these for childrens crafts. It's surprising how much use you can get from a bendy piece of wire.
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Crayola Twistable Pencils
by Autarkis
I love stationary, and often have a huge collection of assorted pens, pencils and crayons. Drawing and colouring is therapeutic and enjoyable for both my 5 year old son and I. In addition, it holds many educational benefits. Drawing allows for imagination, creation, and freedom. All of which encourage children to express themselves ... freely. There are no rules, no boundaries and anything goes. Drawing and colouring is such a simple activity that can be enjoyed at any age and is such fun. All that is needed is a blank canvas, and what will be created waits to be seen.
Crayola are a leading brand that I have used for many years. Their range of art supplies have grown beyond epic proportions. This is what makes them even more exiting. Crayola stand out from the crowd. Their bold colours are just the beginning. When I need a packet of crayons, I generally reach for a Crayola product, as I know the quality is going to be a high standard. Crayola products are also affordable and are at competitive prices, often being not much dearer than other brands.
I often peruse the shelves looking at the art supplies for my son, well, you can never have enough! When I spotted these Crayola twistable Crayons I was intrigued and wondered what was different about them. Were they just a gimmick, or was there a purpose? I took a closer look and was pleased to see the benefits. The crayons are no different from that of a regular crayon; they mark the paper in the same way. Expect, they are ingenious in their design.
The outer shell protecting the lead isn't wooden as we expect it to be; rather it is encased in a semi-transparent plastic casing. The size, shape and feel is almost the same allowing it to sit comfortably in the hand in the same way as a regular pencil. The plastic casing is just as easy to hold and has a good grip. The advantage is that the lead is less likely to break when clanged about or dropped. The lead within can be viewed through the plastic casing. That's not where the genius ends, it gets far more exciting! The top of the pencil casing can be twisted to raise the lead as much or as little as required! No sharpening required! This is a huge plus point as far as I'm concerned.
The twistable crayons allows for colouring to continue, giving more time to be creative. There's no fussing with sharpening which means no mess to clean up or discard. The colours are just as vibrant, and you are getting a good range of colours. There are 12 pencils in the vinyl pouch. There are no lids to worry about, and the lead tips can be saved by lowering the nib when you are finished using the pencils, however, this certainly isn't necessary.
The pencils are no different is size or weight, and can be stored in the same way as any other pencil crayon. We have had our set for quite some time, and they are lasting us very well. Pencil crayons with my son usually end up being broken after a short time from being clunked and dropped. This renders them useless; as each time the pencil is sharpened it breaks again, causing nothing but frustration. The lead of a pencil crayon wears down quite quickly with my overzealous scribbler. With these fabulous twistable crayons the fun never ends, and it's not often that I find I need to twist the lead up, leaving my son to carry on drawing and colouring.
Personally, I love using these, they feel nice in the hand and they draw nicely, too. The selection of colours is great and I don't worry about them breaking or becoming damaged. The quality of them is to a very high standard, and makes them a great product for youngsters to enjoy. The fact that they can easily be twisted up allows children to use them independently. The lead stays in situ once it has been raised.
These are a firm favourite with us, so much so that I've purchased a second pack. These will be my first choice for pencil crayons every time, as they are solid, easy to use and are ingenious. The concept is a good one that works brilliantly. You can expect to pay around £3 for a pack. I found mine in Wilkinson's for just under £3. They have lasted well and keep going.
The added benefit of these crayons is that they all remain the same length, so there are no tiddly pencils in the packet after a time. The fact that they all remain the same size, makes it easy to use and store the crayons, and keeps them looking new and fresh. The plastic barrels remain in good clean condition, with no labels or wood to wear or come away.
These are a firm favourite with us, and are the only pencils we currently own, as I know they can withhold all the creative talent my son has. For approximately £3 for a pack of 12 you are looking at a very good buy and one that is going to be worthwhile. These have outlasted other packets of crayons and are still going strong.
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Flair Cool Cardz
by karalouk
My daughter had been asking for Hello Kitty Cool Cardz for absolutely ages (after seeing an advert on television for it). I kept putting it off as the age recommendation was 6+ years and she would have been too young for it. However this Christmas I decided to finally buy it for her! (She's almost 6)
Cool Cardz are made by a ... company called Flair. We have the Hello Kitty Cool Cardz set but there is also an unthemed Cool Cardz set available.
Hello Kitty Cool Cardz comes packaged in a cardboard box, with instructions inside. The instructions are simple to follow, they come in written and diagram form (so simple for youngsters to follow). There is nothing to set up and you're ready to start right away. The contents include 1 unit, 4 Hello Kitty sticker sheets, 15 laminates, 15 cards, 2 Hello Kitty ink stampers, ink pad, glitter gel pen, purple pen, 2 frames, 1 card envelope and 2 ribbons.
The unit is made of plastic, can be wiped clean and has a handle on top to carry it around. It's a bright pink and black colour, and looks pretty 'cool'. It has a place to keep the stampers (and ink) on top and also has a drawer inside it where you can store all of the bits and pieces (except for the 2 frames which are too large to fit inside), which is very handy. The unit has a slider on it - this is where you laminate the Cool Cardz. Fear not, there is no heating or glueing involved!
To start you must choose a card (there are 3 different Hello Kitty designs to choose from) and decorate it with the pens, stickers and stampers. You can write, draw, stick and stamp whatever you wish. It really encourages creativity, my daughter gets really stuck in and has created some really good cards. Once you are happy with your card, you can then laminate it. You must get a laminate sheet and place it on the unit/slider, then put your card on top and slide the slider across. This magically laminates the front and back of the card and transforms it in to a proper card. My daughter was thrilled the first time she saw her Cool Card - we had no idea how 'grown up' her card was going to look! They look very smart, shiny and durable when they're laminated. I had to demonstrate the laminating process a couple of times for my daughter (it's a little bit fiddly at first) but afterwards she could do it by herself with ease. The laminating process is quite quick and simple. You are advised to push down on the cards after they have been laminated to get rid of any bubbles, although I must say that we haven't experienced any bubbles (although it is a good idea to push down on the cards to make sure they don't come unstuck around the edges). I would say that the most important thing to remember when laminating is to hold down the card because if the card lifts up, it could all go wrong!
After you have made your Cool Card, you can then get creative again and choose what to do with it. There are 2 lovely Hello Kitty cardboard frames included, my daughter framed one her cards and stuck it on her bedroom wall. She framed the other one and gave it to her cousin! She has made numerous personalised cards for friends and family (a couple of them were even tied up in a bow). I have my very own Cool Card which I keep in my purse! There is also a cardboard envelope which you can place your Cool Cardz inside (to store or give as a gift) - my daughter is hanging on to this one, although it's my birthday soon so I'm pretty sure it will make an appearance then! The only downside is that I don't think there are enough accessories included, it would be much better if there were a few more bits - my daughter has more cards left to make but no more accessories to decorate or display them...
Another small downside is that after you have used your 20 cards and laminates, you need to buy a refill pack which generally costs about £7.00. This can work out costly if your child goes through their cards quickly! I haven't actually seen Hello Kitty Cool Cardz refills in shops either, only online.
You can buy Hello Kitty Cool Cardz in most toy shops etc. It is widely available and generally costs between £15.00 - £20.00. Ours cost £17.00 from Tesco. This may seem a little expensive, especially since you will need to buy refills on top. However my daughter likes it and it seems like a good quality toy, so I don't mind paying it.
I wasn't too sure how this toy was going to go down. Quite often my daughter has high expectations of certain toys because of how they're portrayed on the adverts - this results in a lot of toys being a total disappointment! However I'm pleased to say that we both approve of this toy. My daughter loves arts and crafts (even more so the older she gets) and has spent lots of time playing with her Hello Kitty Cool Cardz. She loves creating, decorating, displaying and giving her own personal 'grown up' cards. It's fun, creative, simple, mess-free and I'm happy to recommend it.
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