Since April is my “Go Green” month, I thought it was high time to revisit the marvelous art kits by ArtTerro. Previously I’d reviewed Painting with Wool, the Bubble Wand, and the Wire and Bead Sculpture Kits, so this time ’round we’re going to talk about the Garden Art Kit– apropos, right?
The Garden Art Kit is described thusly on their website:
Combine thick high quality copper and thinner colored wire, glass, shell and wooden beads and marbles to make four fabulous art pieces. Brighten an outdoor landscape or add a little whimsy to a potted plant! Ages 8 and up.
Like other ArtTerro kits, the materials are high-quality and the packaging is eco-friendly. These kits are designed to be “open ended”- that is, no real directions, just a suggestion for creativity. We opened the package of wire and beads and spread them out on the table, and then my Junior Associates got to work/play.
We kind of got off to a rough start. My older boy is more of a “concrete” thinker- he likes to replicate things he sees, so the concept of “open-ended” was a little tough for him. I directed him to the package to look at photos to help him think of ideas.
My little one- who’s six, by the way- dug right in. She loved the thin wire and wanted to make a bunch of little garden spikes with those…but of course, the thin wire is meant for embellishing the thicker wire, not to stand on it’s own. So then we had a little lesson in thick and thin wires, and got her understanding the use of both. Actually, it was a nice “teachable moment.”
Then we had some squabbling over materials- while the kit makes up to three small garden stakes, each one is only supposed to have a few beads. But for my kids, they needed an over-abundance of beads so they didn’t feel like one was getting more than the other. This seemed to help and they actually came up with a few finished products!
(Note that this example has numerous beads that you will not find in the kit- but the glow-in-the-dark plastic beads were a nice touch.)
My little girl came up with this simple stake.
My son went bead-crazy with this spiral stake!
Overall, we had a good time with this kit- but I would be prepared to have a separate kit for each kit. I’d also suggest supplementing the kit with extra beads- wouldn’t it be fun to use initial beads to spell the names of flowers, or even label which-plant-is-who’s. I think the boys might even like some sports beads, too. Just a thought.
For the suggested retail price of $19.99, it’s not a cheap kit, but knowing that it’s a mom-run business with green and sustainable materials helps justify the cost. Also, if you dig around online you can find the kit for about $15.00- not bad at all.
This would be a marvelous birthday or holiday gift, too- so much more original than just chocolate in an Easter basket!
Disclosure: sample provided for review.
If you are considering purchasing these high-quality art kids, I hope you’ll use CTD affiliate links:
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