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Piles of Puppets
Roylco, Inc.
The celebration of creativity is a wonderful example of
free form play at its best. Roylco
has concentrated on creating an experience that is so easy to do that anyone can
start creating puppets in no time at all. Parents
were impressed with the wide variety of options, suggestions and accessories.
The sew-your-own puppet was a well laid out and easy project to do as
well. Of course the real prize comes when the puppets are done and
your children bring them to life in a big time production. You'll want to make sure the video camera battery is charged.
Recommended Age: 4 and up Price: $16.99
Creative
Activity Kit
P & M
Products USA, Inc.
The Blopen airbrush effect creates such dazzling artistic
works that this expanded craft kit, which follows up last year's award winning
Blopen set, was a certified favorite from day one of our testing cycle.
Loaded with stencils, frames and other ideas for utilizing the
self-powered paint spraying technique, everything is included to help you and
your children create superbly expressive works of art.
We watched children dive in at various levels of intensity, from simple
colors to much more complex variations of color mixing and shading.
The carrying case makes clean up a snap, and keeps everything together
and ready for the next time the painting mood strikes.
Recommended Age: 4 and Up Price: $20.00
Many
Masks
Roylco, Inc.
There is something about wearing masks that just tickles
kids funny bones. Watching children
make and then wear their masked creations was a real treat for all of us.
Everyone was a unique creation that demonstrated creativity, ingenuity
and whimsy. Parents told us that
their children were always proud of their efforts and anxious to show them off.
The fact that the whole kit stores away back into its sturdy box was a
plus. It was suggested by several
testers that this kit would be perfect for parties, playgroups, schools or other
group gatherings. Many Masks is
really a celebration of free-form play.
Recommended Age: 4 and up Price: $16.99
StencilShop
Cadaco
For some of us, freehand art can be a little daunting.
A blank page with no defined guidelines can be quite overwhelming.
StencilShop is a great art kit that allows even the most timid artist to
create some pretty cool art. In
fact our testers told us that this compact kit inspired creative output.
Its quite easy to use and the results were nothing short of terrific.
Kids enjoyed and found the whole experience and the final products to be
very satisfying. Ruler guide for
letters were a very appreciated feature. The
movement stencils, which help users create the illusion of motion with their
characters, were unique and a nice touch.
Recommended Age: 5 and Up
Price: $19.99
Snuggle
Pet Kitty-Cat Activity Kit
Tutti Bambini
Most girls we hosted in our testing centers these past two
months told us how much they loved their stuffed animals.
We heard stories of bed so covered in stuffed creatures that they had
trouble getting into bed at night. When
they discovered the Snuggle Pet Kitty and could actually make their own stuffed
creation, well then that was even better! The
kit is quite easy to complete, and provided children with a peaceful, hands on
manipulative activity. The results
were more than rewarding. The soft,
quality materials, impressed both the girls and their Moms.
The instructions were easy to follow.
But best of all was the cuddly finished product.
Recommended Age: 5 to 12
Price: $14.99
Key
Chain Popper
Wild Planet Toys
Bright, funky, and fun.
This key chain kit, which allows your child to create an assortment of
key chains to further adorn their backpacks were a big hit.
Being able to add personalized touches such as a picture or a unique
doodle was a favorite feature. The
contraption for making the key chains was really quite simple to master and as a
result key chains were coming out of our ears.
The quick results allowed children to explore other uses and they did.
Soon we had branched out into necklace making. The appeal of being able to expand their collection of key
chains was the "key element" in making this kit a real winner.
Sorry about that.
Recommended Age: 6 and Up Price: $15.00
I
Dig Treasures-Mysteries of Egypt
Earth
Lore, Ltd.
Wait until you unearth the fabulous buried treasures that
await your child. Hidden beneath
the pyramid are wonders that will entice and intrigue your junior archaeologist.
The kit comes with all the accouterments necessary for a successful
expedition. There is a hammer and
chisel and even protective eyewear, a very good idea.
It was great fun for us to watch as the excitement grew with each layer
being chipped away. The hidden
treasure can be painted with the enclosed paints and displayed with pride.
What was the treasure you say? Come
now you don't expect us to give that away do you?
Tut, tut!
Recommended Age: 6 and Up Price: $24.99
LEGO
Mindstorms Droid Developer Kit
LEGO
Mindstorms
Of all of the creatures great and small introduced to the
world from the Star Wars series of movies, the Droids, were among the most
memorable and appealing. R2D2's
squeaks, clicks and beeps, along with this heroic antics have made him a crowd
favorite through four movies to date. Now
teamed up with the inventive designers at LEGO Mindstorms, your child can build
and then bring his very own Droid to life.
You can make R2D2 or other featured Droids. The developer kit is designed to work in tandem with your
computer, because within the heart of your Droid is a computer programmed brain,
that allows your Droid to carry out amazing commands that thrilled our testers.
There are three difficulty levels, this allows your child to start out
slowly and then expand on their building and programming skills.
This is an ingenious product that will provide hours of entertainment.
Recommended Age: 9 and Up Price: $99.00
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Last Update: April 12, 2000