The Playhouse comes in a flat box. But don’t let the size of the box fool you. The house that box makes is much bigger than it appears to be. In fact, you might be a bit surprised at the actual size. It is big enough that several children can fit in comfortably.

There is some assembly required with this particular playhouse. Mainly, it is folding the box into the right shape to turn it into the house. Thankfully, the main house is all one piece and just requires  folding down a few flaps. The roof is a bit trickier and the directions aren’t quite as clear. But it is still doable.

The other additional pieces are the mailboxes and the chimney. Putting in the chimney helps the roof hold together even if it isn’t quite folded the right way.

The coloring time alone will keep them occupied for hours. Although you might have to invest in some additional coloring supplies just to get the playhouse covered. That alone is worth the cost for this particular product.

Kids will love this playhouse. They will love running in and out, decorating the inside as well as the outside, and sharing this home with their friends. The windows and doors are functional and open and close.

Keep in mind that this playhouse is still just a cardboard box. So it will not withstand an assault from a juice box or water very well. Consider keeping all liquids out of the playhouse unless they are pretend.

The Color Me Playhouse is a decent substitute for a plastic playhouse. At around $17, depending on the store, it is well worth the price for the enjoyment kids can get out of it.

Apparently, each crayon, marker, paint color, and piece of paper is counted as a separate item. According to their counting, a box of 24 crayons is considered 24 items when most people would count the crayon box as a single item. While they advertise over 190 items, all you really get is a less than half-full toolbox with a cardboard filler.

Rose Art isn’t really known for its quality products. Half the time, the crayons break on first use even with an extremely light touch. The pencils don’t sharpen very well. There isn’t that much paint in the containers. Markers don’t last a full color page and the patterns aren’t varied enough for both little kids and older kids.

In short, if you are looking for art supplies, this is the wrong item to buy. You will get more for your money with a large package of crayons and some coloring books from the dollar store.

The only real thing of value in the the whole kit is the toolbox itself. It is made of a decent plastic and has a convenient handle for kids to grab and go with. As a storage box, the toolbox can hold miscellaneous art supplies and crayons for easy access. However, there are no dividers so everything does wind up all mixed up.

But since it is made of shiny plastic, it is impervious to water, crayons and paint won’t adhere to it and markers will rub off. This is probably the only material that actually resists being colored on.

The most fragile piece of the box is the latch itself. If that breaks, you might as well throw the whole thing away because it won’t stay closed otherwise. Grabbing the handle without the latch closed is a disaster waiting to happen.

The product may be cheaper than other similar products but it lacks in quality. Unless you are only buying it as  potential storage for art supplies, it really isn’t worth the price.

Crayons should be non-toxic and washable. Unfortunately, manufacturers have different definitions of washable. Before you automatically believe the advertising on the packaging, check out the reviews by other parents for the product. You want something that is easily removed with soap and water. Be sure to read the fine print on the packaging for specific instructions regarding removal. If you aren’t sure, test out the crayons beforehand on an unseen surface and then see how easy it is to clean. You don’t want to give your toddler any crayon that you personally can’t clean off.

Markers at this age are best avoided. But if they come as presents or they are needed for an older child, you may need to store them on a very high shelf. Avoid buying smelly markers. Those are far too tempting for toddlers to put in their mouths. Anything that contains the word permanent should just be put back on the shelves. But if you really, really need a permanent market, pick up a bottle of clear hair spray like White Rain. The hair spray can erase most of the marks left by a permanent marker if you catch it early enough. Stick with markers that color only on certain paper.

Colored pencils should be washable as well. An eraser should eradicate most marks. However, the eraser itself can leave some residue. You will need to find an eraser that erases cleanly. The kids’ erasers aren’t always the best type to use for this type of clean up.

Paints should be washable as well. It is best to clean up paint while it is still wet. A wet rag usually does the trick. The best policy is to make certain things are covered prior to uncapping the paint lid. Be careful with clothes as well. Not all washable paint will come out in one washing.  If the paint is still evident, don’t put the clothes in the dryer. You might want to check the online reviews for ease of clean up — and always check the fine print on paints to find out if they are truly washable.

Toddlers love coloring all over the place. But their marks don’t have to be permanent if you know what coloring materials are best for them to use. The biggest tip on buying coloring materials is to find products you can easily clean up after the damage has been done.

The problem with the washable bubbles is that they fail a very crucial parent test: they fail to wash off of clothes. Washable in this case is a complete misnomer. The commercial is certainly very misleading. If you look closely, there is a line item at the bottom stating that clothes may need more than one washing. Most stains that kids get into will come out in one washing with a little pretreatment at most. However, you have to be careful when using pretreatment because it might set the stain instead of getting rid of it. Crayola advises that you soak the clothes. The best advice is before you allow your kids to play with the bubbles is to have them and their friends wear old clothes that you don’t care if they get stained or not.

The caveat “for outdoor use only” should be taken very seriously. It is only meant for outdoors because just like the clothes, it will stain objects. There is no guarantee that you can remove this colorful spots from concrete or brick surfaces. You probably should consider keeping the children away from the house siding or anything that will readily soak up paint. Crayola says that a good rain or hose down will take care of it, but it is better to keep the line of bubbles away from any materials that you don’t want stained. The inside of garages aren’t going to get a good soaking. You might have to paint over any stained surfaces later on.

Bubbles are fun. But washable color bubbles are not so fun when you face a huge mess to clean-up. Of all of the mess-free products that Crayola has created, this one has failed miserably. Your kids will certainly enjoy all the fun of blowing colored bubbles. When the few minutes of fun turns into hours of clean-up for parents, then the product has completely missed the mark on the people they truly need to impress. After all, it is the parents that shell out the money to buy the washable bubbles.

In fifth grade, I made a stellated icosahedron (pictured). It’s actually a relatively easy project as far as folding is concerned, despite how it looks. It consists of 30 identical units. You can learn to make them here. The cool thing about these units is that you can make many different shapes with them. All you have to do is memorize how to make this one piece, and you can let your imagination do the rest of the work.

The icosahedron now hangs in my bedroom. You might notice that it is beginning to sag, and the colored pieces of paper have faded quite a bit. To avoid the “decay” of a project, you might want to use real origami paper rather than construction paper. It is available in exciting colors and patterns and is thinner (and thus easier to fold) but stronger than regular paper. It also comes in the standard shape (square), so you don’t have to cut your own pieces. You can find packs of origami paper in general crafts store. However, origami doesn’t have to be limited to paper; learn how to make a t-shirt using a dollar bill here. Anything that is of the right basic shape, flat and able to hold a crease will technically work.

You can find both simple and more complicated free origami instructions here. There are also page-a-day calendars that you can buy, which provide paper to make an origami model each day of the year. This could be a unique project and collection between a parent and a child.

Certainly, you can buy a kite from a nearby toy store, perhaps a large department store or craft shop, but the real fun is when you make your own kite. I remember when I was in elementary school, my sisters and I would try to make our own kites using string, colored paper and sticks we had found in our backyard. Completely disregarding any sense of logic, we would cut out “pretty” shapes and consequently be befuddled by their failure to take flight. Perhaps we were thinking of the simple ideas from Mary Poppins:

♪♫ With tuppence for paper and strings
You can have your own set of wings
With your feet on the ground
You’re a bird in a flight
With your fist holding tight
To the string of your kite! ♪♫

Quite a nice tune, but it didn’t help us get our kites off the ground. However, trial and error in kite-making is a critical part of the kite-flying process; it simply has to be done! Let your children try to put together completely irrational designs, letting their creativity flow. However, if you see that frustration is building, it might be time to step in with a couple hints. If you personally don’t know how, you can use a wikiHow to learn. Another option is to purchase a kite-making kit and help your child piece the kite together.

Remember to take certain precautions when flying a kite; please don’t pull a Benjamin Franklin and take the kite out into a thunderstorm. Flying always should take place in moderately windy weather, away from power lines.

Enjoy flying kites while the wind lasts!

Now, this part focuses on a specific aspect of projects: large portions of parental help and whether it is right or wrong. Based on my past experiences, I feel it is far more wrong than right.  But, I shall try not to be biased and list the pros and cons.

First, the pros:

• Kids get help from there parents, meaning a win is much more likely, which will boost their self esteem.

Wait! What? That means the parent essentially is doing the project for the kid just so he or she can win.  How is that fair?!  It isn’t.  Period.

That is my problem with kids having their parents do the project.  It isn’t the kid’s project.  Daddy or mommy end up doing the project for you!  That makes it much harder for the kids who made their own projects to compete.  Now, how is that right? It isn’t because it is cheating.  Unfortunately, some teachers don’t care.

When we did the catapult project, I was talking to a girl in my class, and she blatantly said to me that her father made it for her.  And guess what!?  The first place team won because their fathers made it for them!

Now, I am not saying that you shouldn’t help or provide guidance.  But you should never do it for them or do a large part of it.  You should provide only a small example or guidance, but don’t ever do the project, because that makes it horribly unfair for other students.

So, school projects are great for the kids that take part, but parents should help, not do it for them.

(Although I promote kids working on projects, parents should always help when using power tools, sharp objects, and flames.)

First of all, I am going to list the pros, just to build up your little spirits and then crush them with the cons.

• Projects are fun!  Period.  If we didn’t have projects, we would spend our school days taking tests and quizzes, doing classwork out of the book, and have worksheets for homework.
• Projects give students that have trouble with tests a better chance.  If you’re a student who is very skilled in making things but has trouble with tests, the project is your savior.  You can make things like a catapult that outdo all the others.
• Projects help kids learn better.  See, some kids learn by doing, not by seeing or memorizing.  So, using a project, these kids can learn how to absorb shock or prevent friction.
• Projects can help you attain certain skills.  No worksheet can help you use a screwdriver, but a project sure can.  These projects can help you with hands-on skill.

Projects are beneficiary in many, many ways.  But…, now it is time for the cons.  Dun-dun-dun!

Actually, what I said about the cons was a farce.  I love projects!  I was able to find only two reasonable downsides.

• Some kids are just bad at projects.  But, there will always be tests, quizzes, and classwork for these kids to work on, so they can make it up.
• Projects can be dangerous.  There is no way around that.  But, everything is dangerous in life, so get over it.  I could get zapped by my computer typing this!

So, why not have kids take part in school projects?  They have a few downsides, but the pros outweigh the cons considerably.

(Although I promote kids working on projects, parents always should help when using power tools, sharp objects, and flames.)

• Puddle jump – Dress your children in some boots and some old clothes or bathing suits or rain coats, and let them go wild! You could stay sheltered under an umbrella, but it might be more fun to join in.
• Use chalk – Chalk and rain, won’t it just wash away? Actually, before it washes away, the chalk becomes more like pain,t and you and your children can make very unique swirls or lines than run down a sloped driveway.
• Stream race – If you know of a stream that forms near your home, build mini boats with tin foil or bottle caps, and race them down the stream!
• Play in the mud – Say what? Yes, your child will get dirty, but that is easily fixed, isn’t it? Make mud pies and other mud sculptures, or just let your kids enjoy squishing the mud with a pair of rain boots.
• Camp – If you expect some rain, set up a tent the day before. Then, you can enjoy a cool camping atmosphere (and keep the kids away from the television).
• Swim – Provided there is no thunder or lightning, swimming in the rain is just as fun as swimming in the sun. Keep your towels stowed in a covered area and enjoy watching the way the droplets hit the pool.

Playing in the rain seems wrongly tabooed. If it’s not too cold outside, what’s the worst the rain could do? It is just water after all; kids don’t melt. To prevent sickness, wash off any mud and grab some clean, dry clothes. Then, you will have successfully spent a fun day in the rain.

Rather than sending them to a screen for entertainment, how about a craft that will keep them busy and amused?

• Glam Leaves-

Cut leaf shapes out of foam sheets with adhesive backs. Attach rhinestones and glitter to the sticky side (no glue needed). Hang with a ribbon.

–Courtesy of Sandy Sandler, founder of non-profit Crafters 4 Kids

• Thankful Turkey Hands-

Trace hand on construction paper. Add turkey beak and googly eyes, and decorate with feathers.  On the back of the decorated turkey list the things about grandma, grandpa, or other special guest that are special and for which your child is thankful.

–Courtesy of Cindy Goodman McGee, Arts Mentor/Designer

• Punched Turkey Placecard-

The only things you need are a few punches (scallop and two circle sizes), any card stock you want to use, and some glue or glue dots. If you want to draw eyes or make a place card, markers can be used for that.  To view the finished project, visit Stamp Monkeys.

–Courtesy of Marni Levett

• Coloring Pages-

For a really simple distraction, visit Coloring.US.com.  They have a terrific assortment of Thanksgiving coloring pages that can be printed free of charge.  All you need to supply are coloring instruments!

–Courtesy of Frank Calderon

For more craft ideas, check out this article at Holidays Helper.