Holiday Gift Round-up #2 (Also Artsy. :) ) and a giveaway

I hope that you are all  enjoying some Peace and Joy during this busy,
colorful season of Advent.

I wanted to put a quick note up about a nifty product for the younger artsy crowd that I received for review purposes from The Pencil Grip, Inc. They sent me a set of their new tempera paint sticks, Kwik Stix. I was quite pleased to be able to check these out, as I have a lad who enjoys painting, but we aren't always up to the "mess" of painting, if you know what I mean.

The Kwik Stix look something like a glue stick, but they are NOT glue, they are paint sticks. They remind me a little bit of oil pastels in the smooth creamy way that they apply to paper, but they are more like markers in the sense that they don't really blend, and they dry in 90 seconds. Kind of a unique product to play around with!

I did a quick little sketch using a lightly pencil drawn base from a perspective class I taught in our little co-op this fall. Turned out pretty cute, and I was having fun with this new product! I also really liked the "hand" of the picture~ the surface isn't "chalky" at all, but rather really nice and smooth once it dries, like a nice picture book.

Youngest wanted to try them, so I suggested that he make some Christmas Ornament drawings. He really enjoyed using them, and kept going...

A couple of things to note~

• There is still potential for a little mess, in that they DO dry quickly, so there may be some stain potential... I didn't test that out... sorry! ;) Just be aware, and cover your surfaces. However, the mess potential seems far removed from water, paint cups, bottles of paint and brushes. Seems like these might have been ideal for our little Lit/Art co-op. Might have to check into the 96 count (8 of each of the 12 colors) class pack for the future! 
• (click the box of KwikStix to the left to check them out and/or purchase through my amazon affiliate link)

• The caps need to be put on (till they "click"), so that the paint doesn't dry out, just like a glue stick or marker needs to be capped (or for that matter, a bottle of paint). 

• Just like with glue sticks, I expect care needs to be taken not to twist it up so high that it breaks off... we didn't run into that problem, but we also don't tend to have that issue with glue sticks... I know that some children DO, however. ;) 

As an added bonus, The Pencil Grip, Inc threw a selection of their base product, some pencil grips and pens into my package as well. What a timely surprise!

I've been working with youngest to improve his penmanship just a little bit, and one of the things I've been dealing with is trying to get him to hold a pencil or pen properly. He has a hard time with that right now, and might be just a wee bit stubborn, so I haven't fought him on it lately (Choosing my battles, yes?).

The good news is that he thinks the grips are cool, so enjoys using them, and when we couldn't locate the pencil with the silver grip for a particular assignment, he said "That's OK, I know how to hold it..." and demonstrated. Score 1! 

I received:

• A silver metallic crossover grip, with "wings" at the top to keep fingers from crossing over one another, promoting a properly applied grip.
• A blue pinch grip, which is an intermediate grip, still guiding placement, but allowing a smidge more freedom for the fingers.
• A neon red pencil grip (I had purchased a couple of these in the past for my older two, but had forgotten about them for youngest). I believe that this is the original pencil grip, and the final step before moving straight to a pencil without a grip, having trained the fingers to grip correctly.

I have the feeling that using any of these grips might be useful for those who suffer from finger strain/arthritis, as it helps to control clenching muscles. I have used them, and felt my hands to be a little less tired at the end of the day. Obviously, your results may vary, but this has been my experience.

Well, I wasn't asked to write a review on the pencil grips, but I sure do like them, so I decided to add that in before moving on to the giveaway for the Kwik Stix.

base picture with some closeup details
top right and bottom left

The Pencil Grip, Inc will be sending the winner of my giveaway a set of 6 Kwik Stix (not the set of 12 as pictured that I received), just in time for Holiday gift-giving/stocking-stuffing!

Please visit the Rafflecopter to enter, and Advent Blessings!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blessings~