Small World Deco Bathroom Set
(Small World Toys $29.99 Score:)

A four-piece porcelain set that can be painted with original designs. The set comes with a cup, liquid soap dispenser, four-place toothbrush holder and soap dish. The permanent paint dries in the air, no baking needed, though you will want to protect the work surface and clothes of young artists. This is not a craft kit for young children, since the pieces are breakable. Older kids can paint the pieces and give them to grandparents, teacher, or for their own bathroom. 8 & up.

Age: Later School Years, Tweens. Award Year: 2012.

DoArt Watercolor Pencil Art
(Faber Castell $14.99 Score:)

We love this series from Faber-Castell that allow kids to try their hand at different aspect of pencil and brush arts. This kit includes instruction for how to work with watercolor pencils.  Comes with ten colored pencils, sharpener, sketchbook, eraser, tracing paper and twenty page instruction book. A great choice for traveling during the holidays for older kids.

Age: Early School Years, Later School Years, Tweens. Award Year: 2012. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

Creativity for Kids Mask Making Kit
( $20 Score:)

With plastic mask bases, full face and smaller eye shape, kids can create 4-5 different masks with special plaster wrap. The kit comes with a variety of items for decorating the masks with feathers, tissue paper, paint ribbons, glitter and glue. This is apt to be a bit of a messy craft, so protect the surface with the plastic sheet, gloves and other items that come with the kit. You may want to add some newspaper as well. There will be a waiting time for the plaster strips to dry before the decorating can begin. Adult supervision is strongly recommended. That said, working with the plaster makes for an interesting craft experience. 7 & up.

Age: Early School Years, Later School Years. Award Year: 2012. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

Creativity for Kids Fashion Bracelets
(Creativity for Kids $19.99 Score:) Enough bracelets for two arms full - or for sharing on a fun play date. Ideal for a small sleep-over activity. This new kit includes 5 chunky plastic bangles and 10 thin metal bangles along with a wonderful assortment of adhesive tape, ribbons, craft glue, bows, rainbow cord, embroidery floss, scissors, and ideas brochure. Testers especially like the sparkly rhinestone trim that come in ribbon-like strips for adding bling to the bangles. Marked for 7 & up, however, we think 7's may need help with the final touches to secure their decorations.

Age: Early School Years, Later School Years. Award Year: 2012. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

Creativity for Kids Rhinestone Rings
(Creativity for Kids $18.99 Score:)

Our tester liked everything about this kit with 12 adjustable rings and tons of flowers and butterflies that easily stick to them. The precut forms are attached with layers of foam squares and topped with a glue on the "gemstone" that is like icing on the cake. With a dozen rings, this makes a good kit for a play date. This kit calls for fine motor skills to handle the tiny foam adhesive squares. Of course, there are enough rings for every finger on both hands with two left over for toes! Marked 7 & up, but 7's will likely need help with the first few.

Age: Early School Years, Later School Years. Award Year: 2012. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

Creativity for Kids Color Changing Light
(Creativity for Kids $23 Score:) For decorating her own room, this little lamp has to be assembled, after the shade is decorated. Our tester loved having a working lamp after she went though all the steps of making it. It comes with tracing paper and patterns that can be used for decorating the plastic lamp shade. After drawing the design, kids color the images in with translucent paints and glue on gemstones and hang sequins and rings that will dangle. Now they are ready to assemble the lamp. It comes with a string of color changing lights with its own battery pack. You do need to supply 2 AA batteries. Marked 7 and up, we suggest that most 7-9 will need help with the assembly and probably in the first steps of tracing and decorating.

Age: Early School Years, Later School Years. Award Year: 2012. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

Sketch-Foam Print Making Kit
(Eye Can Art $28 Score:)

Everything needed for making real prints is packed into this canister that includes clear instructions, foam plates to sketch on, two tubes of printing ink, a brayer, printing paper and a pencil for drawing on the foam. This is an excellent way to learn a new art form that kids can continue to use. When the foam plates are used up, cut the sides away from foam packing trays that veggies come wrapped in and you are ready to print some more. This is an art form that students in my first and second grade classes enjoyed years ago. Now it is done up in a kit with all the materials gathered and ready for action. 5 & up.

 

Age: Early School Years, Later School Years. Award Year: 2012.

American Girl Fun Fabric Bag
(American Girl $25 Score:)

Our 9-year old tester loved adding the precut felt flowers to the green fabric shoulder bag. This involves learning how to sew on a button as well as the flower and making choices about where to place the colorful flowers. It comes with plenty of embroidery floss, needle, flowers, and a project booklet. Best of all the finished bag is totally wearable. 8 & up.

Age: Later School Years. Award Year: 2012. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

Seedling Color the Earth Ball
(Kid O $30 Score:)

A globe/ball for all ages. How kids use it will depend on their age. Some will like boucing it and simply playing with it. Others will love the fun of labeling the countires or color coding them. Inflate this jumbo 16-inch ball that comes with a set of permanent fabric markers. A word of warning, this has a strong odor when it comes out of the box that disappears in time. It's the size of a big beachball, though not intended for the water. It does bounce well. This ball is marked 3 & up, but will be of more interest to school aged kids.

Activity idea: Kids can add a dot or star to the globe as various countries win medals during the Olympics.

Age: Preschool, Early School Years, Later School Years, Tweens. Award Year: 2012.

Loop De Doo
(Loopdedoo $34.99 Score:)

Make your own friendship bracelets with this crafty kit that includes a special spinning tool and plenty of supplies that can be stored in the built-in drawer. It comes with 18 different colored skeins of embroidery threads. You wrap the threads around the device and turn the knob while you guide the threads through. You can make bracelets, belts, zipper pulls necklaces and anklets in a variety of thicknesses and colors. No two need be alike.  This is a kid-powered toy--no batteries needed. This takes some learning time, but the results were most satisfying to our 9-year old tester and her friends. Loopdedoo.com

Activity idea: Design these in team colors to support the team you are rooting for or how about making up family colors to wear?

Age: Later School Years, Tweens, Teens. Award Year: 2012. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.