Buy Fisher-Price Doodle Pro Tag-Along Blue

Awesome for toddlers! We don't use paper anymore, thus sheets upon sheets of paper don't go into the garbage when he wants to draw. Easy for his little hands to handle and to learn how to erase it to start a new picture. Recommend this highly!! Great job as always Fisher Price.Get more detail about Fisher-Price Doodle Pro Tag-Along Blue.

Purchase Crayola 50ct Long Colored Pencils

I recently picked up a set of these colored pencils "on a lark" to use as supplemental to my other, more expensive sets, and was pleasantly surprised - no, nearly shocked - at their quality and performance. It's not that they are better than the best Koh-i-noor or Prismacolor pencils (because they aren't), but the truth is that, for their price, they are very difficult to beat. But price alone is not the determinant factor here: if a colored pencil is cheap but performs poorly, then there is no point in picking it up. But what I quickly discovered with these Crayola pencils is that not only are they inexpensive (they break down to only about 20 cents per pencil, compared to anywhere from $1 to $4 per pencil for the more expensive brands), but they perform exceptionally well, to boot.

What do I mean by "perform exceptionally well?" Let me break it down to a short list so I can clearly present what I discovered with these pencils:

1. The pencils have a generally good laydown of color, with the caveat of the few colors that don't work well (true also of my most expensive colored pencils, I must say). Laydown is smooth and uniform, with bright, rich color.
2. The pencils sharpen very well, with ease of cutting through the wood casing and with the color lead core supporting a very fine point when desired.
3. The lead core seems generally resistant to breakage (a problem that can occur with most pencils, even the most expensive).
4. The pencils are physically light.
5. The set comes in 50 colors, which is a great size for lots of drawing without committing to large collection sizes.

Are these pencils as good as the best Swiss, French, and German colored pencils? No. But they are close, and actually much closer than one would ever think, given that these are marketed as kid's pencils. The price is right, the colors are great, and the performance is really good. How can you go wrong? Five stars for price, five stars for color selection, and four stars for performance.Get more detail about Crayola 50ct Long Colored Pencils.

Shop For Crayola Glow Dome

This toy is good for a few minutes since it has to be viewed in the dark. It isn't long before it loses it's appeal, wish I would have gotten the board instead.Get more detail about Crayola Glow Dome.

Crayola Color Explosion Glow Board

Christmas list 2009 started in early November with one idea.... Crayola Color Explosion.
Everytime some friendly person would ask my daughter what she wanted for Christmas, it was the same answer. Two Santas interviewed this little girl and both times the Crayola folks said, ca-ching!

The Color Explosion board promised to be a beacon of color bright, a wipe erase board with flashing neon light.

Sadly, it sits in her room on the bookcase. Unloved, unused, and overblown.

The two plexi-glass boards work too hard to remove and insert for a Pre-K Kid. The magic markers are noticibly less vibrant than the souped-up model on pre Christmas commercials. The concept is cool, the execution is, not so much.

When asked if she likes, my daughter rather sadly stated, "not so much."

I hate when childhood dreams are dashed. This happened to me with a Barbie product in 1984. The waning hours of Christmas day light were as deflating as my noisy, clunky, plastic toy. It happens to us all...Get more detail about Crayola Color Explosion Glow Board.

Orb Factory Sticky Mosaic Twinkle Tiaras Top Quality

I grabbed this quickly in the toy store for my 4-year old without really seeing what this was. This is a fantastic activity for a 4-6 year old. This is a 'color by numbers' type of activity where you adhere little "jewel" stickers to the tiara. This helps with fine motor skills, following a legend and best of all keeps my daughter entertained for a good amount of time. My daughter did complain that she wanted to decorate the tiara as she wished (rather than following the numbered pattern), but I concerned she wouldn't have enough "jewels" for the other 5 tiaras if she wanted to use the specified patterns later. Of course, as long as she's having fun, it doesn't matter. These are very sturdy, well made tiaras, with a foam velcro closure that you can custom fit to your child's head. Each tiara is a different design. This would be a great activity for a birthday party (although it could take up to an hour to complete without assistance) or playdate. You will not be disappointed!!Get more detail about Orb Factory Sticky Mosaic Twinkle Tiaras.

Aqua Sand Creation Kit - Mermaid This instant

My daughter wanted this for her birthday so badly after seeing the commercials for it! We got it for her and she was just ecstatic! That however, was short lived. The toy is tiny, difficult to fill and a HUGE mess! She was unable to "sculpt" anything and the cardboard scenery on the back fell apart as soon as it got wet. She liked that the sand, when removed from the water, became instantly dry. But, beyond that, it was a complete disappointment. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY ON THIS!!!!! I'm going to try to take it back; it's that ridiculous and cheap!Get more detail about Aqua Sand Creation Kit - Mermaid.

Crayola 12ct Washable Markers Immediately

I bought two boxes of these markers, one for each of my daughters. However, one pink ran out of ink before we were done with one picture of our coloring books (within half an hour of opening the box on the day that we received it in the mail). We switched to the second pink from the other box and that pink ran out of ink too. The tan was also drying by the end of the first picture.

I probably wouldn't have bought this product if I knew that the pink and tan would run out this quickly. We did use the markers to color in the picture, so maybe this is not the intended use? Maybe they are meant solely for outlining. Another note, these markers may be washable off skin (haven't had to try that yet), but it does make a note on the box that it will only wash off some clothes, and not to use these markers near things that can't be laundered i.e. carpets, couches, walls, etc. Unfortunately, I will not be buying these again as they do not serve my needs.


Get more detail about Crayola 12ct Washable Markers.