Imagine I CAN Crafts / Activity Sets For Kids – Fighting Boredom Blues

Imagine I CAN Crafts for Kids – Child Activity Art & Craft Sets, Products Provided For Honest Review…

Despite the oodles of electronic gadgets surrounding kids today, many are more than happy to put those down for some good ‘ol craft time together. Sure, doing the crafts are fun but the hard part is coming up with the ideas and preparing the supplies. All-in-one craft kits and/or art projects are always welcome in my home. When I learned about Manhattan Toy’s Imagine I CAN crafts for kids I wasn’t sure what to expect. All I knew was that they offered:

Imagine I Can is a unique line of affordable priced activities for kids ages 3 and up packaged in colorfully designed tins that are portable and reusable. Activities include: make-it-myself projects, role-play, games and arts & crafts.

I decided to browse their selection of 28 sets. Not only were the sets only $5-$20 but there were even a few items my tween daughter would enjoy too. We ended up requesting Imagine I Can Lace & Play Porcupine, Imagine I Can Crafty Eraser Creations, and Imagine I Can Pet Rock Pals.

Okay, the porcupine project was so incredibly cute. How can you not like a smiling cardboard porcupine with large-googly eyes just waiting to get dressed up with some color?! My daughter and I had a blast making this even though the target age range is for preschool children. That’s probably why the package says 3+. Munchkin found the porcupine so adorable that she has it hanging in her room.

Next up was the eraser making kit which came in a cute tin. My daughter, however, decided the bottom of the tin was perfect for molding the eraser clay. She tried to use the included shape trays but the clay would get stuck. The only way to get the clay out was to smash, pull, and yank it out. Obviously it no longer resembled the shape she was aiming for.

Well, we made due and went freestyle. Oh, and thank goodness for cookie cutters! We spent a good couple of hours rolling and shaping. The mini-sculptures we made looked pretty good if I may say so myself. I was particularly proud of the clog and tulip I made. My daughter made us an eraser for our upcoming 13th anniversary – aww, so sweet!

The directions included were just a bit too basic in my opinion. It would have been nice to have some guidelines, such as recommended thickness or suggestions of how to attach pieces together. Our erasers went in perfectly but came out with a few issues. In the boiling process, areas that are not fully smoothed together are prone to separating. Also, moving or arranging the erasers while boiling may inadvertently break delicate connections. This was a quick lesson on how NOT to do things and the second batch I made was much better. Maybe that’s why it was suggested to do one piece at a time. Still, my poor tulip…

We tested some finished eraser parts on pencil doodles and they are, in fact, very good erasers! With the included clay, my daughter and I managed to make ten complete erasers. Plus, she can store them in the included tin. Not bad for an $11 kit!

There’s still one project waiting for us as we were just to busy to  do it thus far. It’s kind of exciting since, even though they’re supposed to be ‘pet rocks’, real rocks aren’t actually used at all. It’s a special clay that just looks like rock when dried. Cool, right?

The Imagine I CAN series offers several different kits for ages 3 and up and include everything you need to complete them. The projects vary in difficulty so you’re sure to find something that will appeal to your child(ren). Feel free to check out the Imagine I CAN collection yourself and see which items will be right for your family.

Now on to the giveaway – you can win any Imagine I CAN set of your choice by entering below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway