Children’s Gift Idea: Creative Kids’ Crafts from Artterro Eco Art Kits
December 12, 2012 in All Posts, Kindergarten, Kindergarten Art, Preschool, Preschool Art, Sponsored Posts
You know I am a sucker for anything involving eco-friendly art (including upcycled fashion!), so when Artterro sent my daughter one of their Eco Art Kits to play with, I was eager to check it out.
Artterro offers a range of art kits that encourage open-ended creativity with beautiful, natural materials, like 100% wool and 100% post-consumer waste decorative handmade paper, glass and wooden beads, and hand batiked cotton fabric.
It was hard to choose - the Bookmaking Kit and the Wool Felt Bug Kit looked super fun - but we decided to try out the Art Dolls Kit:
The kit came with all the materials we needed, which I was more than happy about because we are in the middle of a move and I would have had no idea where to find needles or our stash of sequins!
With such a colorful invitation to create, my daughter couldn’t resist:
We briefly checked out the booklet for some inspiration and saw they had included some paper limbs and faces for us to cut out and use with our dolls:
Even though the kits are designed for children ages 7 and up, my almost 4 year old LOVED exploring the materials and was able to dive into her own creations right away.
She’s been sewing shapes on cards at school and already knows how to thread a needle (that’s Montessori for ya!), so I let her go for it on her own. Tip: if you don’t have a pin cushion, use some thick cardboard or a cork-backed coaster to anchor the needle while your little one threads it.
She was ECSTATIC to create her own “puppet” and has been carrying around her little friend for days now.
Parent Review
Okay, it’s pretty obvious that my daughter loved the kit, so here’s my review as the parent…
Since Children’s Art & Craft Kits are all the rage these days, I am always a little skeptical about what they really have to offer because I don’t want to waste my time and money on prettily packaged junk that may just end up cluttering our house, but I was genuinely pleased with Artterro’s Art Doll Kit.
- I loved that it came in minimal packaging not just for the lowered environmental impact, but because it is so easy to tote around with us from room to room and when we’re on the go. (Artterro uses sustainable printing methods with vegetable-based inks, renewable energy, and recycled paper. The box can even be used as a frame for your creations!)
- There are enough materials for not just the four included dolls, but an endless number of projects. My daughter has already made several bracelets and necklaces, like this one:
- Plus, you can easily take apart your dolls to keep creating different characters and dress designs and even reuse all of the materials for other crafts if you’re bored with doll making.
- The kit is not a “kit” in the traditional sense with a defined product, but offers a totally open-ended invitation to create and lets your child enjoy the process of imagining and making art.
- The kit is not designed for a limited age group. While your child should probably be a preschooler or older to enjoy the kits, even your teenagers will love it - and so will moms and dads! Here’s my little creation, which I ended up sewing as a stress reliever late one night after packing up some boxes when the kids were in bed:
Playing with this kit has totally revived my desire to create during this extra busy holiday season and I can’t wait for things to calm down so I can explore more sewing projects. My next project (using the kit materials): making Homemade Holiday Cards decorated with sequins and beads and sweet sewn-on holiday wishes!
If you’d like to try out any of Artterro’s Eco Art Kits or give them as gifts, please use the code OUTLAWART20 on your order now until December 16th!
Disclaimer: I received a free Eco Art Kit from Artterro for review; however, all opinions are my own.
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Chrissy – who has written 422 posts on The Outlaw Mom® Blog - Creative Living in a Conventional World.
I love that they are actually sewing clothes for the dolls! Very cute kit!