The Crayola Color Wonder No Mess Fingerpaints sets come with special paper and 6 “colorless” fingerpaints, which actually look like white globs of wax when they’re in the container.  Kids dip their fingers into the white globs then rub their fingers on the special paper just as they would with normal fingerpaints.  However, the Crayola Color Wonder No Mess Fingerpaints don’t provide the instant gratification that children get from traditional fingerpaints.  Instead, children have to wait for more than a few seconds for the colorless globs that they rub on the special paper to turn into a color.  Children without much patience (which probably accounts for 90% of children) have a hard time waiting for the colors to appear on the special paper.  They keep piling on more and more of the white globs of colorless paint trying to make something appear.  In short, they lose interest in this product very quickly.

I should also mention that my triplets will be 4 in July, so my review is based on a 4-year old’s reaction to the Crayola Color Wonder No Mess Fingerpaints.  It’s quite possible that older children have more patience and will sit quietly and wait for the colors to appear on the special paper without getting frustrated (but I doubt it).  The problem with that theory is that older children know how to use a paint brush and would probably lose interest with Crayola Color Wonder No Mess Fingerpaints very quickly, too.

One final complaint about Crayola Color Wonder No Mess Fingerpaints – the price.  Each set costs $9.99.  There is very little colorless paint provided given that steep price!

Have you tried Crayola Color Wonder No Mess Fingerpaints?  What did you and you children think of them?

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Check out the Paint Your Own Soccer Ball from Crayola.  I love this idea.  It sounds like a fun activity to do with your son or daughter.  Alternatively, I love the idea of buying a bunch of these for a young soccer player’s birthday party.  I can see all the kids sitting around a table decorating their soccer balls that they get to take home with them at the end of the party.

If you like the party idea, then now is the time to stock up on Paint Your Own Soccer Balls because they’re currently on sale through a buy 1 get 1 50% off promotion on the Toys R Us website.  Each Paint Your Own Soccer Ball kit includes a ball, a pump, a paint brush and two 6-count paint pot strips.

Have your children used a Paint Your Own Soccer Ball?  Did it work as well as it looks like it does in the picture?

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I think, though, that the majority of my kids are too young to get the whole, “Yes, you can color on the windows, but only with these markers. And no, you can’t color on the wall or floor with them.” And, considering the fact that I’m looking around my living room and noticing that there are still some Christmas decorations up that have escaped my notice, I’m guessing that the marked up windows would probably not get cleaned up anytime soon (meaning, not until Baldman gets frustrated and does it himself. ).

Anyway, have any of you tried these markers? Are they hard to clean off of the windows and mirrors?

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I have to say that I chickened out from buying it. The week was already too busy for me to potentially add, “Remove sidewalk paint from kids’ clothes,” to my to-do list. It sounds a bit messy. But it did look like fun.

Have any of you tried it? What was your experience with it? Are any of you out there from Crayola and want to send me a sample to review?

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