A Real Sanity Saver
Written: Mar 06 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Nice feel, primary colors, encourages imagination, great stress reliever
Cons: may stain if hands are wet, packages don't seal shut
The Bottom Line: Fun for everyone in the family. Great for school projects and rainy days. Must be very careful to store Model Magic properly or it will dry out.
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| Ohara1861's Full Review: Model Magic |
Every once in a while I will purchase Crayola's Model Magic for either a school project or just for play. It is by far better than Play-Doh in terms of texture, consistency, and mess factor.
Last week, before I left with my 4 children to fly to Florida, I purchased a box that had at least 12 packets of the Model Magic inside. Each foil packet contained 1/2 ounce of the compound in various primary colors:red, green, blue, white, yellow, orange, black. I dumped some of the packets into my carry-on bag and away we went.
I chose Model Magic for the airplane ride because it doesn't seem to crumble and make a big mess like Play-Doh. It is also non-toxic and shouldn't stain your hands unless they are a little damp and even then it doesn't stain. The model magic will rub off on your hands then but washes right off.
My kids had fun on the plane, ripping open each packet and making different shapes or objects. I even had fun playing with it and shaping it in my hands. And they also mixed two different colors together to make a new color (red + white=pink). So that aspect was good for color recognition and learning that colors put together make new colors.
The Model Magic will dry in 24 hours or less and while it still is somewhat soft, it does become stiff and your creations will crumble if they are left out.
I also found Crayola's Model Magic to be quite relieving to me while flying. I shaped one of the packets into a ball and just kept squeezing it as a stress reliever while flying through turbulance. It's my opinion that airlines should carry these packets and hand out to kids or adults who hate to fly (ie. ME).
The one drawback to all this is the packaging. I would have thought in this day and age of resealable packaging, that Crayola would offer these pieces of modeling "clay" in resealable bags. All our little packages had holes in the top for hanging on hooks in stores. Once you ripped them open, the bag would not seal and eventually the clay would dry out unless you placed them in a ziploc bag (which I didn't have).
Overall, Crayola's Model Magic is just great and even toddlers should love to squish the stuff in their hands and make shapes. You can also use cookie cutters to press out shapes or use a small plastic knife to cut squares, circles, etc.
This stuff is odorless, non-toxic, fun to squeeze and offers limitless creative outlets. The price is not too high but not as inexpensive as Play-Doh. My box of 12 cost about $10 and they also sell smaller bags with 4-6 packets for about $5.
For me though, it was a small price to pay for some quiet time on a bumpy flight.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 10.00
Type of Toy: Arts and Crafts
Age Range of Child: Whole Family
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Epinions.com ID:
Ohara1861
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Member: Jeanne O'Pella
Location: Haddonfield, NJ
Reviews written: 255
Trusted by: 23 members
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