Arts and Crafts Reviews

Popularized by its frightening appearances in the Jurassic Park films, the Velociraptor was one of the most aggressive predators that roamed the earth 140 million years ago. You can create a scale replica of this prehistoric carnivore's skeleton by assembling the 62 pieces is this 3-D wooden puzzle kit. The interlocking pieces in this kit are made from premium Baltic birch and require no glue or hardware to assemble. Requiring patience and careful attention to detail, the puzzle kit is an excellent exercise in spatial reasoning and shape recognition. Although younger children may require the assistance of an adult to assemble the kit, the rewards are great as you watch a pile of scattered bones being transformed into an impressive model of a Velociraptor skeleton. Although a wooden rock hammer and sandpaper have been included to aid in the assembly process, you may pick up a few splinters while putting this kit together if you're not careful. Once the puzzle is assembled, you can leave it standing as a display piece, or disassemble it for future use. An educational dinosaur booklet and scientific fact file have been included, along with assembly instructions and an excavation site map. The assembled puzzle measures 42 inches tall by 69 inches long. --Chris Burns

Stationery will never be its plain, boring old self again when children begin writing on the special paper in this Super Stationery Scratch-Art Kit. The kit includes 25 sheets of black note paper and 25 brightly colored envelopes. When the paper is scratched by the set's wooden drawing sticks, bright colors are revealed in startling contrast to the black paper. Five sheets reveal gold, 5 reveal silver, 5 reveal fluorescent, and 10 reveal multiple colors. Surprisingly beautiful designs and writing can be made by even the most untrained hand. The kit also has a set of stencils, so young artists can trace their favorite designs onto notes. Instructions are clear and to the point. This kit will transform writing thank-you notes or invitations from a chore to a creative and enjoyable activity for children. --Lee Strucker

Crayons to Go is a satisfyingly chunky home for 100 chunky crayons. It is essentially four pyramid-shaped crayon cases that roll up neatly into a single fat 5-inch cube. The outer pack is green-hemmed blue nylon (with a yellow nylon carrying handle). Inside, the four pyramids are yellow-hemmed transparent showcases, each with its own blue end zipper. Once rolled together, they all close with a Velcro fastener--or you can use a small loop to hang the case from a hook. --Richard Farr

Who's up for a Clay Party? If you want to keep up to a half-dozen little folks busy and entertained, look no further. Inside a fairly sturdy bucket you'll find five 7-ounce packages of bright, nontoxic modeling clay, 16 plastic clay cutters (shaped like stars, houses, and more), four dinosaur clay molds, a rolling pin, safe cutting and modeling tools, and a plastic mat to make cleanup a snap. The clay is easy for small fingers to work and the tools make it simple to turn out cool, colorful characters in minutes--then ball 'em up and start over! --Rob Lightner