With the popularity of computers and touch screen tablets, it seems kids are drawn to technology over the good ole' yellow No. 2 pencil and magic markers! I try to encourage creativity and time for my kids to be carefree, coloring and creating. That's why I was excited to learn that a Canadian company,
Tech 4 Kids, is adding some magic by giving children the ability to drawn three-dimension artwork!
Since 2009, Tech 4 Kids has been designing, developing, manufacturing and marketing children's toys worldwide. Known for combining great innovation with some of the most popular children's licenses on the market, Tech 4 Kids offers six product lines and hundreds of toys catering to kids of all ages.
I had never heard of Tech 4 Kids before, but in learning more about this great company and visiting their website, I was impressed with their selection of toys. I was particularly drawn to the new Magna Color, a nifty arts & crafts kit that takes coloring to a whole new dimension and couldn't have been more thrilled we were going to have the opportunity to review it.
When the
Magna Color arrived, I couldn't wait to show the kids. When Kaelyn saw it, she was excited to try it out. Recommended for children ages 4+, I knew it would be right up her alley.
Out of the box, we read the instructions and got started setting it up. It comes with everything you need to start creating, including two 2-sided stencils, one pair of 3D glasses, a Magna Color board, 4 Magic Dot dispensing pens and 160 Magic dots.
As I said, there is a little set up required. The kids were getting antsy while we got it all ready to play with, but agreed after seeing just how great of a toy that it is, that the time spent to get it all set up was well worth it!! And best of all, it didn't take long at all.
We first placed the pens into their compartment, then poured all of the 3D Magic Dots onto the board. Using the included swiper, we pushed them into a slot at the top where they easily separate into their appropriate compartment.
Once this was done, the only thing left to do was turn the Magna Color board so the 3D Magic Dots would fall into their correct pen. I did have to shake it a little to get some of them to go in, but in no time at all they were filled and ready to use.
We took out the four pens and flipped over the board. We decided on a stencil we wanted to try first. It simply slips in the board by lifting the frame and inserting it. Super easy!
Now comes the real fun part...coloring the picture with the 3D Magic Dots! By simply pressing down gently on one of the spots with the pen, 3D Magic Dots are relased. If you push down gently and slide the pen, it will release more of them in a row.
It took a few tries to get the hang of it, but the instructions had some helpful tips. For instance, we learned it was important to to hold the pen in with our thumb placed over the window slot. This made it easy to color the picture.
Both Kaelyn and Kaden gave it a try and did great! They loved making their own creations, but also using the stencils as well. I appreciate that it encourages color recognition and matching, especially for Kaden when he places the colored dots on the correct color on the stencil. It's great for times when they want to use the provided stencils, or make their own design. I love that it's versatile, as it makes it something that the kids can do and enjoy for hours on end.
It is also great for fine motor skills and best of all, encouraging creativity! The Magna Color truly has taken coloring to a whole new dimension using Magic Dot Pens to draw colorful works of art. And that's not all. Not only do the kids have a ton of fun creating their pictures, but the WOW factor comes when they slip on the 3D UltraVision Glasses. This makes the images seem to pop off the screen. Both Kaelyn and Kaden were in awe of this and couldn't get enough of seeing their creations through these glasses!
When we're ready to draw again, clearing the dots is easy! We simply use the Screen Swiper and push them to the top, then gently shake and sort them back into their correct pens. I was thrilled that there was no mess with getting it cleaned up.
I have been very impressed with the
Magna Color and definitely think it would make a fantastic gift for children 4 years and up! It can be purchased at Toys R Us, Walmart, Kohl's, BJ's Wholesale Club and many more retailers for $24.99.
Also, a quick note...A small quantity of product shipped this past summer included malfunctioning pens. As a company dedicated to high quality products, Tech 4 Kids, the manufacturers of Magna Color, would like anyone with malfunctioning pens to contact them at the following email: toys@tech4kids.com for a set of free replacement pens and dots.
**The product for this review was provided for free by Tech 4 Kids. All opinions are my own and were not influenced in any way.
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