Holiday Gift Guide: Kids' Crafts ? Rockin Mama?

I was never particularly crafty before I had kids.? I tend to be more analytical and constantly work to tap into my creative side, where for many people, little effort is required. This year, I started making purported efforts to work on crafts regularly with my children. Since this isn?t my strength, I?ve tapped into a variety of resources for inspiration including crafting books, online websites, and Pinterest.

Since my children are still young, we particularly enjoy craft box sets since they contain everything needed to make engaging, themed crafts at home. These kits, now available at Walmart, are affordable at just under $10 and can be used for family craft time or as a gift for that special child in your life.

While in many instances, crafts are typically deemed something little girls participate in, Walmart carries a variety of boy crafts from Horizon Group USA. Little boys can build their own pirate ships, decorate a skateboard, or make aliens and zombies utilizing these craft kits.

Over the weekend, we thought we would try out a craft that both my daughter and son might enjoy: Made by Me Power Balls. This kit, which retails for $9.97, includes 2 molds and 21 bags of crystal powder in varied colors to make 21 power balls. This particular kit is targeted towards children 6 and up, however, my daughter was able to participate with my assistance.

Once we gathered our supplies (the molds, crystal powder packets, and a glass of water), we got to work filling our molds with different colored powders.

My son was able to help pour these powders into the mold whereas my daughter didn?t quite have the dexterity and precision necessary to get the powders into the mold.

Once we filled the molds with the crystal powders, we placed them in water and allowed them to sit for 5 minutes or so. Once we pulled them out, we had to wait another 8-10 minutes before removing the balls from the plastic molds to ensure that they were fully formed.

After removing them from the molds, our children had colorful, sparkly, balls that actually bounce!? Be sure to keep these in a plastic baggie so they retain their ?stickiness.?

We enjoyed this craft for a variety of reasons. First, it was relatively simple yet engaging. There weren?t a lot of steps to confuse or frustrate and it didn?t take so long that my children became restless or bored. With kits such as these, we?ve found that sometimes, we are not able to replicate it according to the instructions given. We appreciate the fact that the balls actually turned out the way they were supposed to, complete with stickiness. While this is a bit messy (particularly if a packet of crystal powder gets knocked over as was the case with us) I recommend this particular kit because of it?s unique, ?cool? factor. Boys and girls alike will enjoy getting creative as they mix the crystal powders to create their own unique power ball.

Whether you?re looking for a winter family activity or a gift for child in your life, check out these affordable craft kits now available at Walmart. You can see the entire line of Seasonal Exclusive Activity Kits on CraftProjectIdeas.Com.

Disclosure: I participate in the Walmart Moms Program and am compensated for my time and honest opinions.

Source: http://rockinmama.net/2012/12/holiday-gift-guide-kids-crafts/

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