Kids' Crafts: Klutz Review and Giveaway From Scholastic

Giveaway open to Canadians.

When my contact at Scholastic asked me if I wanted to review some Klutz craft kits, my only stipulation was that I wanted something that my four year old daughter would be able to do. I know their Klutz books are very popular, as I see my Grade 3 students ordering them from the classroom flyers all the time, but I know many of them are for older kids. I wanted an activity that Frannie would be able to do with some independence, and be proud of her work.

Well, you should have seen the look on her face when I handed her The Fabulous Book of Paper Dolls by Julie Collings. ($19.99)

Now, this is a girl who asked me to cut the cardboard pictures of Disney Princesses off the back of her Advent calendar, and played with those cheap little things as if they were the most expensive toys in the world. Paper dolls are her thing. (Don't get me started on the questionable connection between Advent and Princesses or Spiderman. Do you know how hard it is to find a religious Advent calendar? But I digress.)

These sturdy paper dolls are perforated and ready to go. They attach with adhesive dots, which I thought might be a pain (mainly because I figured I would be responsible for all of the adhesing. I mean adhering.) Once Frannie learned how to work that part herself, she was on her way. The dolls themselves are a range of skin colours, and interestingly when Frannie made her first choice she said: "I'm picking this one, because her skin is the most like mine." How nice to think that her darker skinned counterparts can say the same thing.

The book is full of fashions, accessories, babies (perhaps considered accessories if you're a Hollywood starlet), pets, and even backdrop scenes for imaginative enjoyment.

Frannie has honestly played with this for hours each day ("This is the best thing I've ever had in my whole life!"), and shows it to everyone whose attention she can capture. "See what a lady sent me?" (My apologies to the male PR reps out there, but all review products are sent to our home by "a lady".)

If your little one isn't so much a paper dolls sort of kid, how about this:

Klutz Build-a Book: Why I Love My Dad ($14.99)

We're saving this one for another day (maybe my husband will forget about it by June if I put it away for a Father's Day gift) but basically it's a make-a-scrapbook type project where you can use the provided pens, stickers, paper, etc. to create a special Daddy keepsake.

If you're a hibernator like me, you're probably looking for some indoor fun you can share with your kids this time of year, and either of these Klutz kits would be a great choice!

And of course Scholastic is offering both of these great kits to one lucky Canadian This Mom Loves reader! To enter, simply leave a comment and tell me what sort of crafty activity your child enjoys most!

For additional entries, leave a separate comment letting me know that:

• you follow This Mom Loves publicly through Google Friend connect
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• you follow @ScholasticCDA on Twitter

Contest ends on Monday February 14th at 11:59 p.m. Eastern, after which time a winner will be chosen by random number generation. Good luck, and happy crafting!