Scratch & Sparkle Deluxe Kit
(Scratch-Art Co. $14.99 Score:) For fans of Scratch art products, this is a satisfying kit. Comes with 16 sheets (four each multicolor, glitzy gold, silver, and blue), stencils, drawing tools and frames. Still top rated, Scratch-Lite Sketcher ($19.99) a lightbox on which kids place scratch art paper and draw or write with one of two fancy tipped drawing tools. Comes with stencils and 10 sheets of special paper, so bring home a refill pack. A good quiet-time toy that develops dexterity needed for writing. 5 & up.

Age: Early School Years. Award Year: 2005.

Monster Art Center
(Alex $69.99 Score:) Imagine the thrill of opening this double-hinged art center with trays to the right, trays to the left, and trays below! It comes loaded with 30 fine-tip markers, 28 colored pencils, 26 crayons, 24 oil pastels, 12 watercolors, brushes, pencil, glue, and palette. The crayons aren’t as juicy as Crayola, but the materials and kit would be a dream gift to most art-minded kids! They say 4 & up, we’d say this is more like a gift for 6 & up. (800) 666-2539.

Age: Early School Years,Later School Years. Award Year: 2006.

My Star Box
(Balitono $19.95 Score:) Our tester painted and then gave this star-shaped box as a gift for Mother’s Day. A real hit! A keepsake for any gift giving season.

Age: Early School Years,Later School Years. Award Year: 2006.

My Pinball Game Kit
(Balitono $19.95 Score:) Finding kits that will appeal to boys as well as girls is not always easy. This one was a hit with our eight-year old tester. Okay, it won’t compete with the electronic versions, but it will be unique! Also fun for dramatic play, My Doghouse Kit ($19.95 ), with pooch, house, and feeding bowl. Still top rated, My Horse Stable & Corral Kit ($25 ). PLATINUM AWARD ’05. (609) 936-8807.

Age: Early School Years. Award Year: 2006.

Ceramic Swirl Art
(Alex $24.99 Score:) Classic spin art type toys are one of our all-time favorites so you can imagine how excited we were to find this new “spin” that includes ceramic plates and tiles that attach to the platform. You can set your designs by baking them. Adult supervision a must. Also fun and messy, Tie Dye Party ($19.99 4balls) but we’d skip Plaster Caster ($44.99 2 balls), which looked amazingly cool but we could not get a figure to form that wasn’t cracked. 8 & up. (800) 666-2539.

Age: Early School Years,Later School Years. Award Year: 2006.

Lite Brite FX Flash Art
(Hasbro $19.99 Score:) Here’s the new twist on your old spin art machine. This one comes with neon paint and black cardboard designs cards. Turn off the lights and add paint as it spins. Watching paint turn into ever changing designs is the best part of this toy. But be forewarned, the end product is not as attractive when it stops AND there are only seven cards in the set. You’ll need lots of refills for this one at $6.99 a pop. It also has annoying music-that can be switched off but the label also warns that this paint can stain, so watch where they use this one! It’s one of those novelty items that will probably run out of pizzazz before the batteries run out. We tried it with big hot colored index cards and it’s not bad. 5 & up.

Age: Early School Years. Award Year: 2006.

Racer Bikes Design Shop
(Creativity for Kids $18 Score:) The reality is your five year old probably won't even care about the craft aspect of this kit because the two included racer bikes are so neat to play with all by themselves. Both bikes are easy to activate (they have pull back action) and move forward once you push down on the helmet of the racer. The kit comes with acrylic paint and stickers. The stickers give a more finished look although most kids will need help getting the stickers off the sheet. The paint doesn't give the same finished look but most kids won't care...it' all about the bikes.

Age: Early School Years. Award Year: 2007.

Fashion Angels Fashion Design Studio Set
(Fashion Angels Enterprises $24.95 Score:) If you have a future "fashion designer" in your house, this design studio will be a huge hit. There are three pre-printed pads that come with a template (a whole Fashion Angel form, a foot and a purse). There is a wonderful Style Guide that details the difference between such things as palazzo pants and jodhpurs. Designers can add their own designs with the set of included color pencils and markers. Refill pads can be purchased for $4.95 each.

Age: Early School Years,Later School Years. Award Year: 2007.

Pirate Treasure
(Creativity for Kids $17.99 Score:) With pirates all the rage, this will be a good choice for a party. It will take some planning ahead, a project to do before the big day. There's a small cardboard treasure chest that needs painting and decorating (supplies are included) along with gems, golden coins, and two sturdy map-making papers. For dramatic play there's an eye patch and head scarf. But this is where the planning comes in- you use the art materials to create a map or puzzle that the players then use in a treasure hunt.

Age: Early School Years. Award Year: 2007.