Mess free painting for toddlers - no really (Crayola Minikids Mess Free Magic Painting Set)

Member Name: azana

Product:	Crayola Minikids Mess Free Magic Painting Set
Date:	09/01/09 (123 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Does what it says on the packet

Disadvantages: Not cheap

When a whole pile of toys is ignored for an entire hour on Christmas day in favour of this painting set you have clearly got a winning product on your hands!

Thsi crayola magic painting set promises to be mess free - and remarkably it actually lives up to that promise whilst proving to be lots of fun.

My two and a half year old got one of these for Christmas, but I have since bought another set as it has proved so popular.

The age guidlines say 3+ but I can't see anything that would be unsafe for children below this age, although you might want to watch that they don't eat the invisible "paint".

The set consists of a pad with 20 pages in. You use the clear coloured paint with the sponge that is provided ideally (fingers work too) to dab onto the page to reveal hidden characters and objects and to colour in. It is not like some of the other crayola kits which allow you to draw your own characters - it is essentially a colouring in exercise as you can see from the front picture of the pack; sometimes there may be instructions like "find the hidden food".

The pages are easily detachable and the little pots are just the right size for little fingers. There are 6 colours.

The paint will only work on the parts of the paper that are supposed to be coloured in. It doesn't show up on the table or clothes, though there is a warning about removing it quickly from leather or other porous surfaces. The colour of the "paint" which appears to be some sort of wax is identified byt the colour of the surround on the pot - a concept my 2 year old appeared to easily understand.

I've had "mess free" products before so I was a little sceptical about this set, however both my 2 year old and my 5 year old absolutely loved it.

It would be nice if the pad had a few more pages than 20 for the price, but it is an ideal present, and probably it is worth £3.95 or so for a quiet half hour or so on a rainy day.

One thing I did notice is that after a day or two the colours "bleed" into each other - but I can't be the only mum who files the majority of their child's creations in the B-I-N (recycling of course) - though I do scan some of their better creations.

If you are like me and always mean to do messy play and paint and can't face it, or end up doing art and regretting it whilst you clean up the damage for hours then give this set a go!

Summary: A really good activity for keeping little ones busy