My car lives to be clean for another day! (Crayola Minikids Mess Free Magic Painting Set)

Member Name: oioiyou

Product:	Crayola Minikids Mess Free Magic Painting Set
Date:	11/05/09 (27 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: clean and easy to use

Disadvantages: bit greasy so younger children might actually end up messy

If you have read my other reviews you will know that in July last year I got a new car. Not brand new but new for me. I look after my cars and try to keep them clean. A hardship with two young children, but none the less I still try! :)

One problem I had to face when the car had only been in my possession for 3 weeks was a trip to Cornwall. There were a few aspects I needed to think about ...

* What needed to be taken along (plus I was pregnant and near ready to pop so baby stuff just to be safe!)

* What snacks

* What toys to keep my 5 year old busy

We have a portable DVD player which attaches to the rear of the front headrest so that kept his attention for most of the journey, but I couldn't have him watching television for all that time. He wanted to bring crayons and stuff like that which made me nervous. My worst fear was he'd accidently drop a crayon or pen and it would mark my lovely new auto. I know it wouldn't be the end of the world but I would have been very upset.

My little man and I went to a local toy store to have a look at what we could agree on. We managed to find a colouring book which claimed no mess!

I was overjoyed, but would it live up to the claims???

The Crayola Mini kids Mess Free Magic Painting Set cost me £4.99. The set includes a book of pictures, a tablet that looks almost like one you would have for paints and a couple sponges.

When we stopped for Lunch half-way through our journey to Cornwall I opened the pack and gave all the bits to my son. He (and I) thought it was brilliant. Each colour started off white. They were marked so that you know which colour is which and once you have rubbed the sponge along it you can then wipe it on the paper. The colour seems to show up on the picture like magic! I must sound really simple being so impressed by it! :) Oh well!

My son decided to take things a bit further and rub it along his white shirt. I nearly had a heart attack as he was supposed to wear that shirt later for a family gathering! Thankfully the mess free bit is true. Well, thankfully for him, otherwise he would have been spending the evening sitting on the step.

I am not sure what the white paste in the pots is made of to make the colours but it is rather greasy. My son isn't very messy and kept it on the sponge but I can imagine some children ending up with greasy fingers.

Crayola make a few other types of packs such as the ones with the white markers that suddenly create colour when put to paper but there aren't a big number of them so unfortunately once you've done them that's it.

I'll probably go out and get another pack soon as the baby is getting into things and would probably find these really fun. Obviously I'll have to watch that he doesn't try to eat the sponge but should be a clean activity for him.

It's amazing the amount of fun stuff kids get these days!

(c) oioiyou 2009

Summary: Good novelty fun