The top two things I look for when choosing a gift for my kids or their friends are that the gift engages their creative thinking skills and that it doesn't make any annoying, repetitive loud noises. (hey, a mom's ears can only take so much!) That's why I love the Eye Can Art Printmaking Collograph Kit from The Maker Shed. I tried it out with my daughter, and we had a blast rolling ink, printing our designs and spending time together.
The kit comes with just about everything you need to make several simple prints. We used paper plates for our ink palettes and paper towels to protect the table and were all set to go.
The instructions with the kit are written in a great style, and make it super easy to explain the project to kids. We each cut out our face pieces, glued them on and got ready to ink them up. I have to admit, seeing my daughter wield a brayer was pretty darn cool.
Once we inverted the inked faces on to the paper we started burnishing and then re-inking to create a halo around the face.
The best part was revealing the printed image. My daughter insisted on closing her eyes as she peeled back her pattern piece so she could fully appreciate the surprise. I wish I'd gotten a picture of her squeezing her eyes shut and revealing the print. It was priceless.
Working on this kit with my daughter was such a beautiful, simple pleasure - the best kind of all. She loved it, I loved it, and we both learned something while we spent valuable time together. Plus, there were enough supplies in the kit for us to make loads of prints together again. That was money and time very well spent.
Go grab one from the Shed and spark a little creativity in a kid's life (and your own) this holiday season.
From the Maker Shed:
Eye Can Art Printmaking Collograph Kit
Make dramatic-looking images quickly. The non-toxic printing inks clean up with water
Contains:
* Tag board
* Glue stick
* Crayon
* Scissors
* Brayer
* Printing ink
* White and color papers
* Instructions
Hi Kris!
The age range on the Printmaking Collograph kit says, "Ages 4 and Up" and that seems about right. My daughter is seven and a half and easily mastered it. My son, who is four and a half, hasn't tried the kit yet, but I'm guessing he could do some simple large graphic images and could roll the ink easily. He might need a little help with burnishing hard enough to make a good, solid print, but that's about it.
I was surprised by how truly *easy* the project was.
Have fun! :)
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What's the age range on the kit you have? Maker Shed doesn't list it for any of them as far as I could tell. Looks like a great gift idea.
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