Look At That Cute Fingerprint...
Written: Jun 26 '01
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Pros: no mess (sorta), non-toxic
Cons: price, colors, messy paper...
The Bottom Line: Potentially boring, and definitely expensive.
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| fallyn96's Full Review: Crayola Color Wonder Markers and Paper |
The past few days, my fifteen month old son has been pretty sick. There isn't much that he can do, except lay there in bed and look pitiful. After taking him to the doctor today, and finding out that not only does he have an ear infection, but also a throat infection, we took off for Wal-mart to pick up his prescription, and also something quiet for him to do.
Lo And Behold- The Stationary Aisle
My son just recently discovered the joys of coloring. He likes to see what pretty colors he can make using crayons and markers. Unfortunately, we have yet to realize that crayons and markers are for paper use only. This is why the Crayola Color Wonder Markers and Paper appealed to me.
Crayola claims that these markers will not mark any surface, and that they only work on the special Crayola Wonder Paper. The packages of markers and paper comes with six markers, a bag to put them in, and one pad of paper. The markers only come in red, purple, yellow, blue, green, and brown. You can also get packets that come with special coloring books- which is what we got.
Ouch! The Checkout
Oh boy, expect to be spending lots and lots of money on these markers. The markers themselves are $3.96 (for six markers, mind you). The set with the coloring books have 24 pages of the special paper, and the refill packages (and I believe the sets that just come with plain paper) have 30 pages. The refill packages are $2.96. As anyone with children knows, 30 pieces of paper do not last long.
The Test Drive. Home
We get home, and I tear open the package of markers and paper. After a brief glance at the colors and a mental note that there isn't a black, I begin to color the first picture in the coloring book.
I've always loved to color, and I try to get a little creative when I do it. But for some reason, Crayola decided that the only part of the coloring books that these markers would work on is inside the lines. Which means that I can't color the sky around the rooster blue, because it doesn't work. Can't sign my name, unless I sign it inside something, but unfortunately, once you color over something, you can't write over it. It was rather frustrating at first.
I also began to think that this might not be a good idea. I remember how excited my mom was when my sister learned to finally color inside the lines. How can a child learn to do this, if you can't even color outside the lines? And what kind of an outlook on life does this promote? Is coloring outside the lines bad? I think that this actually hinders creativity, because children can't color whatever they want. When was the last time that you looked at a child's coloring book, and didn't see some neat little designs drawn outside the lines?
Let's Fly Baby- A 15 Months Old Experience
Finally, I decide to let my son try these markers out. Sitting on the bed, I carefully set out the markers (without the caps), and give him a piece of the plain special paper. I show him what to do by giving him a marker, and moving his hand so that he draws a line. With a giggle, we're off. He makes a few lines of purple, is amazed at the way that the color just magically fades in a little ways behind the tip of the marker, and then decides that he wants another color.
I let him have at it while I did some much needed work around the bedroom. A few minutes later, I'm back to check on him. He's gotten bored of coloring on the paper, and is trying to figure out why he can't color the sheets. I pick up the paper, and notice little tiny finger prints in various colors all over the page. Apparently, my son has gotten some of the special ink on his fingers, and then touch the paper. It's a neat effect, but I can see how some children would be bothered by it.
After he was done playing with the markers, I read the inside of the coloring book. While these markers will not make visible marks on the wall, they can harm the finish of wood. There's an invisible (until it touches the Color Wonder paper) ink in these markers that is semi-permanent. In fact, to find out how to get it off, you need to call Crayola. Oh- and there's also a warning on them that says not to get the markers on fabric. And the point of these markers was what? So they really are not mess free. Oh sure, people may not know that your child colored your coffee table- but they may see something on there in squiggles that is marring the surface. Right.
Conclusions
I can see the good points. These would be great for younger children to learn to play with. If my son were older, I do not think that I would have bought these for him. Children should understand that writing and coloring on anything but paper designed for that purpose is not to be done, and if they are using markers that do not make visible marks on those surfaces, they may start to get the idea. But it's going to take some help from their parents.
But I can also see the bad points. How long will these markers interest an older, more creative child? Probably not as long as regular crayons and markers would.
But I do not think that these markers are worth the price. No way. Four bucks for six markers? I can spend the same amount on a package of 10 (24 if I buy the cheap ones). Three dollars for paper? Why not just buy cheap printer paper for the same price? I'd bet that it would last longer.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 3.96
Type of Toy: Arts and Crafts
Age Range of Child: 12 to 36 Months
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Epinions.com ID:
fallyn96
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Member: Tracey
Location: Illinois
Reviews written: 263
Trusted by: 104 members
About Me:
Insanity is hereditary. You get it from your kids.
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