Time to get messy (Crayola Beginnings Washable Fingerpaint)

Member Name: karalouk

Product:	Crayola Beginnings Washable Fingerpaint
Date:	25/04/09 (180 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Does what is says on the tin, is suitable for young children, washable

Disadvantages: Only 3 colours, abit overpriced considering how many colours there are

I brought a pack of Crayola Beginnings Washable Fingerpaints from Mothercare for around £4.99. You can pick them up from all good toy shops and many online shops. They are currently selling on Amazon.co.uk for £3.29.

The paints come in a recycable cardboard box, mainly green and yellow in colour. The front is open therefore allowing you to touch the paints if you really feel the need to!?

There are only 3 colours - red, yellow and blue. However these are colours that can be mixed with each other to make other colours. They each come in a transparent, plastic (recycable again) 147ml bottle with a white cap. The cap is removed to pour the paint out and should be closed when not in use to stop the paint from drying out or spilling everywhere. The bottles open from the bottom so you don't have to do all that shaking when you're nearing the end of the bottle.

The paint is not like normal paint, it is more like coloured gel. This isn't a negative as it works just like paint and looks just like paint when it's dry. I think this is better for younger children rather than older children though as it seems easiler and less challenging than normal paints.

The way I use them is to squeeze a small amount of each colour onto a plate and let my daughter use a brush, sponge or her fingers to make pictures with. The only downside in doing this is it's very easy to mix all the colours together. Mixing the yellow and red colours together is okay but when the blue starts getting mixed in, it turns a really gross dark colour.

The paints are suitable for 2+ years but I did use them slightly earlier a couple of times to send letters out to people with my daughters hand prints on and for keep sake books.

The paints can be used for painting pictures, making handprints, footprints, finger painting and general childrens arts and crafts.

Best of all the paints are totally washable. I've got them on all types of surfaces and clothing (even whites) and they have all come out in the washing machine. They also come off easily on skin - just a rinse under the tap and it's all sorted. For extra piece of mind you could always use an apron.

The advantages of this product for me would be it does what it says on the tin, is great for young kids, bright colours, is washable and comes in a bottle which means I can decide how much paint I want to be squeezed out.

The disadvantages of this product for me would be the fact there are only 3 colours and they are quite expensive considering they only have 3 colours. Also if they are used quite thickly it can take ages for it to dry (literally 2 days!) and they're too easy to mix together and make a yucky colour. If your child gets through a lot of paint these might also not be too suitable as I don't think they would last too long (we still have some left but have been using it sparingly lately).

Summary: washable jelly.. i mean paint!