I have a houseful of little artists, so being able to review art supplies is a fun treat. We are no strangers to The Pencil Grip, Inc. and their mess-free Kwik Stix, as we have a set of the classic colors, a set of the neon colors, and a set of the metallic colors. They recently came out with a smaller version, the Thin Stix 6pk of Classic Colors, so my kiddos were excited to try them out, as well.
The Pencil Grip, Inc. was started in 1992 by Dr Lois Provda, an educational therapist. The company has been selling hundreds of unique and innovative products for the school, home, and office ever since. They offer the original ergonomic pencil grips that encourage proper writing skills, textured products that appeal to sensory-seeking kids, basic office supplies, and, of course, the Stix.
The Thin Stix, just like the original Kwik Stix, are solid tempera paint sticks, but without the mess. That means we don't always have to pull out the paint, brushes, smocks, and cups whenever the kiddos want to create masterpieces. With these paint sticks, they can simply uncap, twist, and paint to their hearts' content. On top of that, the fast-drying formula of the stix though allows the color to dry in only 90 seconds! Now we don't have paintings drying all over the house. The pages can simply be stacked in one neat pile.
The Stix remind me of a big tube of lipstick. The paint is waxy and slightly tacky. They silkily glide across the paper as you swipe. Using them is more like coloring than painting though since you draw instead of brush the color around. The finish on the page is paint-like with a shimmery sheen, so the completed project looks like it was painted.
The Thin Stix are much slimmer than their original counterpart. Their size and length are similar to markers. They have slightly less paint inside (0.35 oz for the original, 0.21 oz for the thin). You can be more precise and accurate with the thin version.
We've used these to paint on all types of paper, coffee filters, popsicle sticks, and styrofoam plates. The paint easily colors them all. My kids have been having so much fun creating crafts and pictures with these. They love being able to pull them out whenever they want. I love the versatility and lack of mess. These stix are convenient, easy-to-use, easy-to-store, and mess-free. We keep all of ours in a plastic pencil box, so we can grab them whenever the kids feel the creative bug biting. We can take them outside, in the car, on vacation, or at the kitchen table. All the kids, from the toddler all the way through the 11-year-old, enjoy using these.
We recently took these on vacation with us. They're easy to use in the car and are great for keeping little ones busy while Dad and Mom try to relax in the room. I grabbed a bag of coffee filters from the dollar store and a few clothes pins and had the kiddos make a version of the butterflies we made years ago (directions here, but without the water). They're easy to make with the Thin Stix. I love seeing how each of the kids' creative minds work.
The Thin Stix 6pk of Classic Colors have been a huge hit in our house--with kids and mom alike! If you're looking for a mess-free, fun, and easy form of art, these Kwix Stix may be just what you need.
You can connect with The Pencil Grip, Inc. on the following social media sites:
If you'd like to see more pictures of kids' art made with Thin Stix, please read the reviews on the Homeschool Review Crew blog.
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