Blingles Theme Pack & Crystal Pets Review

Blingles are a great way to get some bling and pizazz into the holiday season! My daughter adores anything that sparkles and shines, but these products are equally enjoyed by boys.  We have the Blingles Accessory Pack as well as the Crystal Pets Pack. Between them, there are over 400 gems, 2 gem mats, glue rolls, trinket box, photo frame, key ring, gift cards, and a huge variety of design templates.  With craft kits always a big hit in this household, there were more than enough materials to add sparkle and shine to everything in the wardrobe.

The concept itself is simple, with clear instructions in the packaging, to ensure a great result is achieved immediately. If you’re not sure about creating your own design, there are some great templates that you can use. My 7 year old quickly decided she wanted to branch out into her own artwork and was delighted with the results she achieved. A huge animal fan, my son worked on a number of puppy and dog outlines, delighted with what he produced. The small gemstone bling that will stick to practically anything, including clothing and shoes.   To make a ‘blingle’, a template is chosen ( or you can make your own up), gems positioned onto the no-mess glue sheet and it peeled apart to then stick wherever its needed. The high quality glue roll ensures that the design will stick to most things. he kit comes with a special pen that makes it easy to pick up the gems.

The age range for Blingles is suggested for chidren girls ages 6 and up, although perhaps unless they have good fine motor control, a little older will ensure there are no tears or frustrated designers. In saying that, younger children will have just the same deslight in creating when working alongside an older sibling or parent. I really appreciated the tidy tray for all of the materials, keeping them in order and easily accessible. 

Design It, Press It, Bling It!  It really is that simple. Refills of both the gems and transfer glue rolls are readily available.

Note that the kit has tiny pieces, so if you have younger children around you’ll want to take extra care that they don’t go into mouths. The Blingles Kits by Moose Toys are available from major toy stores and were at supplied to us by the wonderful team at  Undertow Media to review.

Doctor Dreadful Snot Shots Review

Doctor Dreadful keys into kids macabre delight in gross things. Fancy picking a huge nose and eating your findings?  Perhaps digging out earwax Shrek would be proud of is more your style? Just time time for Halloween and the myriad of end of term parties, Doctor Dreadfuls kits are sure to bring that disgusting edge to serving edible snot and goo that only kids clamber for.

My son was engrossed by the Snot Shots, insisting everyone in the family were fed a long slimy tendril of snot, controlled by a syringe at the end of the large warty nose. Just as disturbing was the ear wax oozing out of a flaccid ear. 

Although my children insisted that the sweet paste merging out of the plastic orifices was tasty, I found it a little too sweet and a little grainy. The nose and ear dispensers are sturdy, though a little fiddly to clean after all of the goo has been consumed. 

The recipes are easy to follow with every nauseating ingredient safe to consume. The packets have enough inside to try a few batches and certainly enough for a party trick. Children as young as seven will be able to mix and insert the contents into the facial cavities in order to gross out the next dinner guest.

A great addition for theme parties or Halloween and a firm favourite with both boys and girls between 7 and 13. Its a great gift idea and defiantly worth looking at for the younger teens who are hard to buy for.

Doctor Dreadful Snot Shots by Moose Toys is available from Toys R Us and all leading toy shops. 

My son would like to thank the wonderful people at  Undertow Media for sending us the product to review. 

Blingles Sparkling Princess Review

Blingles promises to add a creative sparkle to all your accessories.The Sparkling Princess designs features stars, hearts, crowns, lips and music notes, perfect for the young princess in the household. However, with their new line up fo theme packs, kids can choose designs they are interested in. Adding some pizzaz to noteooks, ipods, handbags and belts has never been easier for young designers

Although marketed towards the tween market, the templates are easy to follow and once young children are shown the process, they will be able to design and create their own bling with little assistance. To make a blingle, a template is chosen, gems positioned onto the no-mess glue sheet and it peeled apart to then stick wherever its needed. The high quality glue roll ensures that the design will stick to most things. 

Each kit is generous with the amount and variety of gemstones and it was good to see that refills of both the gems and transfer glue rolls are readily available. The tiny gemstones can be a little fiddly to handle and smaller hands may find it frustrating to position when creating some of the more detailed designs. The kit is an attractively set out with spots to store all of the equipment and consumables. 

The wide variety of deigns possible allows the creator to use the bling in a wide range of places. An accent for a handmade card, giving a gift photo frame a special lift, a sparkle for sunglasses or personalising a phone or laptop; the possibilities are endless. 

The Sparkling Princess Blingles kit was enthusiastically received and with immediate professional results, its expected it will remain a favourite craft activity for a while. With a wide range of designs to choose from, the difficult decision will be how much bling is too much?  

Blingles Sparkling Princess by Moose Toys is available from Toys R Us and all leading toy shops. My daughter would like to thank the wonderful people at  Undertow Media for sending us the product to review. 

Mythbusters Science of Sports Kit- Review

Searching for appropriate gifts for teenaged boys can prove to be a difficult task. Whilst well meaning books, underwear or boxed gags tend to populate the choices, finding something that pique their interest, add value to their learning experiences and is a safe but fun activity tends to narrow products down. Based on the popular Mythbuster Series, Discovery have released a series of science kits which promote exploration into science and its theories as the next cool thing to do. Having Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage wise crack their way through blowing things up hasn’t hurt the image for teenage boys either.


Mythbusters Science of Sports kit

The kit follows the formula the series is built on. Using science, it goes about determining the truth behind urban myths. This particular kit explores the legends surrounding sports. The kit includes the vital equipment required to test each of the theories:

• string
• mallet
• ping-pong ball
• baseball
• rubber ball
• chart
• sticker sheet
• marker
• clear tube
• face paint
• stick
• Activity Guide

Product Pros

The kit provides the basis for a family to test common sporting myths and develop a shared interest into exploration and investigation. It allows children to experience how important science is within the sporting arena. The main myths tested are

• Finding the ‘sweet spot’ on any baseball bat.
• Discovering how curve balls really curve.
• Learning about why the ‘rest and digest’ strategy brings them more energy.
• Testing out the truth of the ‘big bounce.’

The materials used in the kit are of good quality. The kit would provide a great resource for teachers of physical education or coaches trying to find a different angle to engage their players and students.

Product Cons

Whilst this kit can provide some fun family learning, care needs to be taken with inquisitive younger children, as their own ideas may take over and lead to household challenges. The materials are designed to encourage independent discovery and although suggest its suitability for aged 9 and up, from the instructions and scientific theories behind some of the experiments, it might be better suited to older children or those who are very passionate about science.

The instructions and information behind the science can appear jumbled and skips around a little. For children or people unused to the chaotic format the show follows, the activity guide may prove confusing and difficult to follow.
Mythbusters Science of Sports kit sets out to marry sports and science, making learning a hands on experience and giving an appreciation to the theories behind the urban myths. One of the best parts about it was that the kids had the final say on whether each of the sports legends is ‘Confirmed’ or ‘Busted.’ Anything that makes learning more accessible to teenage boys and encourages kids to use their brains and not just their muscles gets a thumbs up from me.

MythBusters science kits sell for about $19.99 and are located at Toys R Us or you can find them by visiting www.toysrus.com , www.target.com , or www.Walmart.com .

You can also learn more about MythBusters by visiting : www.elmers.com

Annie would like to thank Discovery  for supplying her with  the kit to experiment and review.

Special Occasions Fashion Kit

When your aspiring fashion designer has lost interest in paper dolls and flimsy tissue paper gowns and has begun to tack together swatches of fabric and drape them over dolls, its time to introduce them to the next step in dressmaking and design. Special Occasion Fashions by Creativity for Kids is a kit with everything needed to design beautiful dresses and outfits. Gorgeously packaged it includes a soft dress mannequin specifically designed for pins to be stuck in , a satin starter dress, yards of pastel fabric, a variety of trims, good quality tape measure, thimble, sharp fabric scissors, sketch book, sketching pencils, fabric swatches and satin pincushion. To add that special pizzazz, the kit also includes sparkle fabric paint, two tiny tiaras and veil accessories.

This kit is an upgraded version of the original, specifically for young designers to allow their imaginations go wild on bridal and prom gowns.

Pros

The first thing you will notice is the high quality of each of the inclusions. Lace, satin and embellishments are supurb. The scissors are sharp and pins of seamstress quality .

The mannequin is a touch of genius as an inclusion with the kit.  Styled like the old fashioned Victorian dress dummies, the body is a stiff but very squishy foam; making sticking pins into very easy. This is perfect when draping the fabrics or attempting to fix a trim or neckline.

Another brilliant inclusion for the kit is that it comes with a simple satin dress, already assembled and ready to embellish.  I would highly recommend this as a starting point in testing trims and colours and point of discussion and observation.

The sketch book has high quality paper included, with each page displaying a style of dress the young designer can alter lines, colours and embellishments with.

Cons

Despite the kit including a very pretty pink bag to keep everything together and organized, a small compartmentalised two tiered box might have been a better choice for practicality and as part of training toward the next step as a designer. The bag simply lumps everything together, allowing threads and yarns to tangle and fabric to crumple.

The age range suggests that it is suitable for ages 9 and upward.  The ability to stitch and sew has long been lost in most young people.  Whilst this kit might have had a high appeal and practicality 20 years ago, the skill sets of a normal tweenager is vastly different now.

Older tweenagers may be more likely to have the dexterity, fine motor control and skills to cut and sew tiny dresses, but most would not have the interest or inclination to pursue this. A 9 or 10 year old will require heavily support, in order to successfully produce a gown.

Although the size of the dress would certainly fit a “Barbie” sized doll, techniques in finishing a dress are fiddly and time consuming.  Unless the child has a real passion for finishing projects and for high detail, I believe many will give up in frustration.

The instructions on Special Occasions Fashions state the intention for the kit is for children to design the gowns with the included fabrics and embellishments in mind; rather than to get hung up about the production of the dress itself. Although the instructions are clear and it gives good examples of starting points, I have my doubts that the skills involved in the production of even a simple dress would be abundant within most communities. However, all of this can be avoided if this kit is used in a learning environment where the mentor and young designer take small steps, chunk  time and effort and plan each project dress.  The kit has a lot going for it; good quality sewing supplies, attractive fabric and trimmings and a mannequin which allows the designer to pin and drape fabric directly onto the body. Certainly, it would be a perfect gift for a child whose interests in this area are already piqued and they need a push to develop the skills towards dressmaking and design.

For more information on Special Occasions Fashions and Creativity for Kids  check out their facebook page or website.

Images by Creativity for Kids own Website.

Annie would  like to thank Creativity for Kids for the opportunity they gave her family to play with their wonderful product. 

Hanna Montana (Series 3, part 2)

A concern for many parents of growing children is the selection of appropriate television and DVDs. With increasing laxity in classification standards violence and questionable moral themes have begun to creep into the PG bands; making many parents wary of modern reality style shows depicting tweenage children and their daily lives.   With television one of the major influences for young people, its important, therefore to be careful with the selection of role models.

Unless you have been living under rock at the back of a distant cave, you will have been exposed at some point to the Empire of Hannah Montana, complete with its huge merchandising range and DVDs.  Unike some television personalities and shows which appeal to the tweenage market, the concepts and themes presented in Hannah Montana  remain clean, ethical and inspiring; despite its longevity.  August 4th marks the release of Series 3 part 2 of the DVD range and is certain not to disappoint.

For those who may have escaped her marketing and shows, Hannah Montana is a world famous pop star who hides her real identity behind Miley Stewart – a normal teenage girl.  The formula for episodes revolve around issues in the lives of Miley and her best friend Lilly; interspersed with  the girls’ gawky other friend, Oliver. Mileys real life father – Billy Ray Cryrus, plays her father, lending his experience and knowledge as he advises her through her challenges in her split lifestyle. Disney continues a popular plotline made famous with shows such as Superman or Bewitched where the main characters real identity must be kept a secret.  Girls in particular identify strongly with the clumsy goofy Miley and dream about being the confident and popular Hannah.

After three series, it’s become a little hazy on who’s ‘in’ on the teenager’s huge, unlikely, impractical secret, but since it’s basically become perfect fodder for most of the  jokes, it doesn’t ultimately matter. Every episode generally packs a life lesson where characters learn not to lie, learn about forgiveness, and humility. Overall, the series itself is about not forgetting your roots, which can be an important lesson for anyone to learn. As its often taught in a series of humorous events, viewers do not feel that they are being preached at.

Series 3 sees Miley juggle the challenges of growing-up such as getting her driver’s license, sticking her foot in her mouth on a radio talk show and dealing with secret crushes.  As always, with the help of her father and timely reality checks from best friends Lilly and Oliver, Miley learns valuable lessons in trusting her instincts and ways to make decisions which are right for her.  Series 3 part 2 also resolves the cliffhanger “What Will Miley Ultimately Decide?” left from part 1.

Disney is usually reluctant to allow most of their shows continue past 50 episodes, siting that the original ingredients cannot be reproduced over a lengthy period of time, that creativity dries up and fans become more demanding and specific about what they want and need to see their icons do and say.  In the case of Hanna Montana, they have made an exception.  With over 70 episodes now made, the Hanna Montana empire appears as strong and robust as it has ever been. Whilst the script may never make the Nobel Prize, its filled with fun and delivered with a freshness which is envied throughout Hollywood.  For die hard Hannah Fans, this is a must buy and see.  For those looking for entertainment for their tweenagers which will uphold a strong social basis, you could do alot worse than investing in the entire stock of Hannah Montana DVDs.

Image via Wiki

Annie would like to thank Porter Novelli for sending her the Hannah DVD to review.