This post is sponsored by Seedling USA.
In the late afternoons I am always looking for easy ways to beat boredom and get the kids working together on something. Often my toddler will run off and play trains but my older kids (ages 6 and 3) want to do something a little more structured that gets them creating. Otherwise they just end up fighting while I make dinner...
Last week Seedling USA sent us three pretty cool Seedling DIY kits to try out with my older kids and they were the perfect afternoon boredom buster. Today I'm going to tell you a little bit about the kits and how they spark creativity.
The three kits we were sent came in a giant bag that my daughter thought was fun to carry around.
Here are the three kits we were sent and a little bit about each of them...
The Pirate Skeleton Excavation Kit (ages 6+)
For this kit the kids were given a giant pumice stone with pirate bones hidden inside. They had to use the tools in the kit to excavate the bones and solve a mystery.
This activity was intense... which was perfect for my 6 year old. He worked on this excavation project two afternoons in a row and even invited a friend over to try it out too.
He was really absorbed in this activity and it was adorable to watch my daughter get sucked into the project because he was so engaged. She took a turn doing some excavating too, but the tools are a bit easier for 6 year olds than 3 year olds.
My son was so engaged in the excavation part of the project that he actually wasn't that interested in completely putting the skeleton back together. Instead he and friends had more fun creating with the pumice stone remnants because the pumice left a chalky dust on our table as they worked with it. This turned into a fun messy play activity where all the kids were covered in chalky pumice dust!
It was fun to see the gears turning in their brains as they tried to decided how to use the dust for something creative...
The best activities are springboards to other creative pursuits. This skeleton excavation activity got their creative juices flowing.
Invent Your Own Insects Kit (ages 4+)
While my son worked on his pirate excavation kit my daughter (who is almost four) invented her own insects and I sat down and joined her.
The kit included everything that we needed for the project except scissors. It was so nice to have all of the materials in one spot. We were easily able to clean up once we were done too.
Our favorite materials in the kit were large beads and clay. We worked together using the materials and created a few silly insects.
We are used to playing with playdough so the clay was a nice change. The thickness of the clay turned this activity into a wonderful finger strengthening exercise as my daughter pulled the clay apart and rolled it and flattened it. She loved mixing all of the colors together too.
As part of the kit we got wings that we could color and then stick into our clay creations as well. We enjoyed how they added to the variation in what the insects looked like.
In addition to creating insects, we really just enjoyed exploring the new materials. The beads were especially fun to thread onto the pipe cleaners in different ways.
My Princess Crown Kit (ages 4+)
We did the princess crown craft on a different afternoon while my toddler napped. The kit also included all of the essentials to make one sparkly colorful princess crown.
I loved how simple this princess crown kit was. My daughter was able to do it pretty independently. I just stayed nearby and chatted with her about it while I fixed lunch. It came with two of our favorite things too- gems and glitter glue.
There were so many gems included in the kit that we could decorate our crown and make other crafts with the jewels too. My daughter loved sorting the jewels by color and then designing her crown... making sure to carefully place each jewel in the perfect spot. I was a bit worried when she was working that the crown would be so jewel heavy it wouldn't stay on her head! 🙂
When I asked my daughter how it was going, she gave me a thumbs up and said, "check." That's her sign that she's having a good time.
This kit is recommended for 4 year olds, but I think most 3 year olds would enjoy it too... with adult supervision... assuming they don't try and eat the jewels.
My opinions...
Overall, these kits were like Christmas or a Birthday in a bag. My kids were so excited for something new and interesting to play with and these kits fit the bill. I am keeping the materials close by from the insect and princess kits so that when it is time to make dinner I can pull these materials out again and get the kids creating and crafting.
I love how the Seedling kits make it easy for you. Everything is organized and packaged together and there are instructions and it is simple to know exactly what to do. You don't need to scroll Pinterest and then make a "to buy" list and then find time to buy the materials. They are all right there in the box. Even as a crafty mom, sometimes I don't want to have to think about planning a project. It is nice to just open a box.
The ease of having a complete themed kit show up on your doorstep is awesome. I also like that you can go online and just pick the craft kit you like and only get that one. These kits would make a great creative birthday gift to give to friends too.
The Seedling kits range from about $10-35 per kit based on the type of kit and the amount of supplies inside the box. The materials are a lot more durable and sturdy than others I've been sent before.
Seedling is a New Zealand based company that is bringing their wonderful kits to the US. I like that they prioritize using top knotch materials and using recyclable components in the kits wherever possible.
I would love it if Seedling would create another set of kits focused on toddlers because I think my little ones would have fun creating too!
Do you ever buy craft kits? Have you checked out Seedling DIY Kits before?
What theme craft kit would be a hit with your child?
If you want to learn more about Seedling, pop by their website or follow along on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Instagram.
This post is part of a sponsored campaign with Seedling USA. I received compensation for my participation, but my review and opinions are my own.
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