All parents have precious artwork from their budding artists decorating prominent places in the house, but what happens when you run out of refrigerator magnets or space on the family bulletin board? Art Show to Go is designed to enhance, show off and give young artists a dedicated portfolio that they can be proud of. Frames that can be decorated to enhance their creations make these keepsakes even more special. The "pocket pages" are perfect for keeping projects together. The all-in-one carrying case gives traveling art shows a whole new meaning.
Recommended
Age: 3
and up
Retail Price: $15.00
Elmer's
Color 'n Sound
Elmer's Products, Inc.
This wonderfully designed, low-priced coloring kit comes with a twist that brought smiles to the faces of our testers. Buried inside the clipboard that holds the coloring page in place, are chips that respond with music and sounds when crayon hits paper. The quizzical expressions of our testers soon turned to smiles as they colored to accompanying sounds. There are plenty of pages to color, each of which produces a different set of sounds. There are optional theme packs that you can buy when you run low.
Recommended
Age: 3
to 6
Retail Price: $9.99
Most kids will tell you that dominoes are meant to be lined up and knocked down, they have no idea that there is an actual game involved. ALEX decided to do away with the pretense of a game and get right down to the fun with a wonderful, colorful assortment of pip-less dominoes and domino knocking accessories. Kids loved designing their own twisty curving tracks and got a kick out of the bells, swivels and other parts that make this toy a blast. There is a canvas bag for keeping everything together, a big plus for a toy with so many pieces. Parents loved how this toy provided their children hours of freeform, open-ended play.
Recommended
Age: 3
and up
Retail Price: $40.00
Blopens Magic Color Change Kit
P & M Products USA, Inc.
The Blopen painting system is a proven winner, giving artists of all ages the ability to create airbrush styled masterpieces easily. Always looking for a way to enhance the product, P & M has introduced a new Blopen, one that magically transforms the entire look of your project with a simple blow. The color changing pen never ceased to amaze our testers who couldn't believe how their artwork took on a whole new feel once they blew a little magic onto the canvas.
Recommended Age: 4 and Up Retail Price: $14.99
Soapdough
Life of the Party
Recommended Age: 4 and Up Retail Price: $12.99
Vivid
Velvet
P & M Products USA, Inc.
This fun, inexpensive and educational coloring map is a great idea for classes, gifts or just for fun on a rainy day. The bright color pens really help make this map come alive and the velvet borders help keep state borders where they are supposed to be. The final results are quite vivid and something that you will want to hang up. The fact that children were actively learning the states names while they were choosing colors that were "just right" for each, impressed our testers.
Recommended Age: 4 and Up Retail Price: $4.99
Blopens
Blaster Kit
P & M Products USA, Inc.
Blopens have been extremely well received over the years, and many teachers have told us that they love using them in classrooms, daycare and preschool; however sharing pens has always been an issue. Never fear, P&M has heard your concerns and designed a saliva-free alternative. This hand squeezing blaster kit delivers the same great Blopen results with no germs and as a result, a greatly reduced chance of germ sharing. And the price is nothing to sneeze at either!
Recommended Age: 6 and Up Retail Price: $7.99
For more information about The Seal of Approval or The National
Parenting Center
call: 1-800-753-6667
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http://www.vectranet.com
Last Update: August 16, 2002
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