I bought this kit for my 2 granddaughters, ages 5 and 3. It is simple, clean and lots of fun for them. The final product is so cute and they love to play with their home made bugs! They are raising butterflies from caterpillars, so this fun little project intensified the enjoyment of their current interest in bugs.
Although the project is simple, they do need adult help and supervision. I do not mean that the adult had to do the project while the child watches - the kit has plenty of simple and rewarding tasks that a child can do for themselves while an adult instructs, but the adult caregiver needs to be completely involved. Count on a little bit of frustration and crying when attempting the first project. Our little ones experienced a learning curve, but after the first bug was completed, and they felt the satisfaction of having the final product, the other bugs went much smoother because they understood the process better and had a vision for the finished artwork. It has been a good patience building activity - they had to overcome some hurdles, but they experienced success in the end.
One BIG negative: The GLUE STICK has several problems:
The first con is that the adhesive is not strong enough, so the project keeps falling apart while in process. This could have been a disaster, and the tears were flowing freely until I got the idea to reinforce their glue jobs with a stapler. THE STAPLER SAVED THE DAY - DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS PROJECT WITHOUT A STAPLER AND PLENTY OF STAPLES! And liquid school glue won't hurt to have on hand either. When we did the ladybug, the legs were made of Popsicle sticks which were too heavy for the glue stick adhesive, and too thick for staples. We glued them with school glue and let it dry overnight.
The second con is that there is only ONE glue stick! If you are working with only one child, this is not a problem, but if there are two children, you can expect them to fight over the glue stick. THE GLUE STICK IS VITAL, AND IS NEEDED FOR EVERY STEP OF THE PROJECT. Just realize that before starting the project that you need an extra glue stick for each extra child.
ALSO: I do not recommend trying to do this project with more than two children, unless they are unusually gifted, or one of them is older than 6 years old OR you have two or more adults to help. Some people think this would make a good party activity, but I say that is asking for trouble unless you have at least one adult for every two children. The projects are simple, but an average child needs plenty of help - especially on the first time. You will be in over your head if you try this with more than two small children at a time. The ideal is one on one.
This is a wonderful and fun project if you are prepared for the few minor pitfalls. My granddaughters have made all the bugs in this kit and are begging for another kit. I am planning to get them the paper bag puppet kit next! Really REALLY glad I got this for them. Alex Toys Paper Plate Bugs, Alex Little Hands Art Series
If you are like me, time crunched, busy and not so very artistic, then this is for you. I love doing projects with my son, but am not very artistic when it comes to ideas for projects to do. This is a great way to have time together and really create cute art. I have several different kits from Alex Toys and my son enjoys them all. He is 3, and he loves the glue and mess that art makes, he does not have a preference, but he likes looking at the pretty things we make. These art kits have saved me from endless hours in the craft store trying to buy all the separate things needed to make cute crafts with my son. You will love it!
My daughter received this as a gift for her fourth birthday. We did the first bug project this afternoon, and although she was happy with the finished product, there were some frustrations along the way. There is no way these projects can be done exclusively with the included gluestick. In fact, we used the glue stick very little. Instead we used packing tape and some tacky glue to help hold everything together. I think a stapler probably would have been helpful too. The plates are tricky to join together because they don't lay completely flat. I did most of the "assembly" and she did the decorating. For the price, this does seem like a good option for kids who like to do projects.
This product was alot of fun for a group of 4 yo. With very little help they were able to follow the picture directions to make 'bugs'. Each bug was in a separate envelope with everything required. The only problem was that the large glue stick really didn't stick everything well enough, but we used the large stickers to glue things on too. Not really meant to be a durable product which is a good thing too!
I bought these for my 2 y.o. son. There are small pieces that are choking hazards, but I was able to watch him closely. It was very easy as they were in prepackaged bags, so we can choose which bug we want and open only that bag. However, because the paper plates are curved (like normal paper plates) at the edges, it is difficult to glue some of the pieces on. We've had a lot of fun doing it, but I'm needing to help a lot, and sometimes the glue isn't strong enough so I'm ending up stapling pieces on. They do look nice on his walls though, and he's asking to do more bugs!
I love this product! A box of single packaged arts and crafts projects that are fun to do with minimum mess. The finished products look great. My 2.5 year old loves them - asks to do them again and again. I've started buying this as a gifts and the recipient families have also loved them.
My 3 1/2 year old daughter really enjoys making these bugs. I just do one every time that we have down time with her, and she loves all of the colors and variety of things she can choose to make. The glue is washable, which is a must, and they give you pictures of the bugs so that you know what to do if you want instructions. Also, each bug is packaged separately, which makes it easier to organize to do at a later date. - Kids - Creativity - Crafts - Fun For Little Hands'
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