I am a working mom with a very active 2.5 year old and a husband who travels >50% time. This means even though I consider myself creative, I appreciate the ability to whip out a pre-packaged craft project that engages my little one without a) pre-planning/looking up ideas online; b) taking her to buy supplies (in small quantities) for similar projects; c) any consideration of weather or time of the day. Sure, there will be parents out there who take a look at the content and think it's nothing special. Well, I have two comments: 1) many of us wouldn't consider most activities for a 2-3 year old special but they are nevertheless fun and age-appropriate. 2) When my brain is fried from work but I'd rather not park my kid in front of the TV so that I can decompress, this is a fun way to spend time with my little one.
Price wise, I consider Amazon's price reasonable. I probably would have to spend more if I gather the supplies myself and would have the hassle of dealing with all the leftovers.
Personal reasons and pricing aside, I am actually quite impressed with the quality of the stuff inside. The quantity for each project is either good or on the generous side. Everything is bright/colorful and printed on quality paper. The projects create surprisingly little or no mess. All age appropriate -- some clearly require a longer attention span than my kid has or greater dexterity. That's ok; I help her with some stuff or let her finish the project in a couple of sittings. I can also try to challenge her, making up related stories/asking her decoration preferences while we do these projects and encourage her to keep at it a little longer to expand her attention span. These projects would work best for 2.5-4 year olds. I like the individual packaging for most of the projects. That way, I can efficiently take one out at a time w/o letting my kid sees the rest and get distracted.
There are only two things that I would change: the box came with just one instruction sheet that shows how some of the projects are put together. For those of us who like reading instruction manuals, the only way to get an idea of what the final product look like are the images on the big box. Like I said, my kid gets distracted and wants whatever she sees, so I would have preferred not to have the box in front of her (albeit with all the content removed) while we do a project. Second, I noticed that I did not get one of the projects pictured on the box but something else of the same type of activity. That's kind of a disappointment because I really like the fish tissue art instead of a star tissue art; plus, I believe in you-buy-what-you-see. I don't know how frequently Alex products make substitutions like this.
This was a worthwhile investment. I love seeing my kid getting so excited during and after finishing a project. So proud and eager to hang up her latest masterwork! Alex Toys My Giant Busy Box
My 5 year old daughter just got this craft box for her birthday, what a great gift! She sat down and did the craft projects on her own for hours. You can look at the box for ideas on how things should look OR just do what you want and be creative. All the projects are wrapped separately so you can hand out one at a time if you want. She was so proud when she was done to show us what she made. This is an excellent gift for kids who like to do/create things rather than just playing with toys. We will be buying more of these items for Christmas gifts. Very little mess to boot.
this art supply/project box was part of an arts present for my 3 children, and they all absolutely loved this project box. their was something for each of them to do on their own, and together. there are so many fun things to do with all the supplies, and my kids even get along and work together on making fun things. ages 7,4,and 3.
I love this little busy box! My daughter (2 1/2)and I will have hours of fun. This was actually the first thing that has kept her attention for over 1 hour. I'll let her play with the items in the box while I cook and she is totally engrossed in what she is doing. She makes the funniest things from this box. But, I love that it helps with her creativity and imagination. This has become a favorite birthday present for me to give to her little friends.
I bought this for my daughter for her 6th birthday. she loves to do arts and crafts and I thought this would give her some new things to do. She loves it! The projects are all easy enough that she can do them on her own. Very colorful and creative. Love this box of crafty stuff!
For those of us that love to do craft projects but don't have the creatiivity or patience come up with our own, then this is perfect! It's great for a rainy day, travel, scorching summer days or that time before bedtime where you want a quiet activity. I definitely suggest that for everyone.
we got this as a gift for a 3 year old girl. her mother indicated that she completed the entire set the weekend after her birthday in which it rained the whole weekend and couldn't go outside. she loved it.
so, i suppose i'd recommend it for a birthday gift! when my kids get old enough, i'll probably buy them one!
The main good part of this toy is that most projects are individually wrapped. So, if you have more than one kids, they are not fighting for the same thing! The not so good part is that there is only one glue stik which is humungous!
Could have better items....too pricey for the amount of stuff in it...which could have been bought for a fraction of the cost of this box!'
Detail Products
Detail Reviews
Click here for more information
