Thin Stix Creativity Pack

My kids are so excited every time we get to review for The Pencil Grip, Inc.. They love arts and crafts and appreciate getting new supplies to make creations. The mess-free Kwik Stix are well-loved in our house by both kids and mom alike. The kids equally like the thinner version of the stix as well, but had only used the classic colors. You should have seen the looks on their faces when they opened the box with the Thin Stix Creativity Pack!

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, ultra-safe scissors, 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. Don't get me wrong, my kids love traditional painting! But Mom doesn't always want to deal with the hassle. 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. 

Even times when I would say no to a full-on painting session, I would never deny their requests for the Thin Stix. So quick and easy.  

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. (I admit, it's a bit addicting!) 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.

Just like the regular Kwik Stix come in a variety of colors (classic, neon, and metalix,), the Thin Stix do, as well. All the colors are fun, but the shimmery metalix are my personal favorite, and given the fact that my kids "ration" the use of the gold and silver stix, I'd say they're their favorites, too, ha. 

We've used these to paint on all types of paper, coffee filters, popsicle sticks, wood, and styrofoam plates. They really are easy to use on just about any surface (just ask the 2-year-old how much fun it is to use these to paint on the kitchen table. Stinker.) This time we made sure to make some fall decorations to display on the windows. The kids and I had fun swirling the colors on pages. Then we flipped the pages over to draw leaves and cut them out. It was a fun surprise every time we turned them over to see how the patterns and colors came together.    

The Thin Stix Creativity Pack offers so many opportunities for creativity. 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:
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You can find more art projects made with the Thin Stix Creativity Pack by reading the reviews on the Homeschool Review Crew blog.

Things That Make Me Smile 11/17/16

Jake (10½), Alyssa (8½), Zac (7), Tyler (4½), Nicholas (1½)

Happy Friday! Has anything made you Smile this week?

1. Zac, holding his LEGO phone creation: "Mom, I can take pictures and rate them. I just took one of you and wrote 'the beautifulest girl in the world.'"

2. Me: "Are you Mama's boy?"
Nicky: "No."
Me: "Are you Daddy's boy?"
Nicky: "No."
Me: "Are you Gramma's boy?"
Nicky: "No."
Me: "Are you Papa's boy?"
Nicky: "No."
Me: "Well, whose boy are you then? Aren't you Mama's boy?"
Nicky: "No. Papa."

3. I was going to wash Nicholas after breakfast, but he "hid" from me.

Me, teasing: "Nicky, where are you?"

Nicholas: "I un know!" (I don't know) 

4. I clean my wedding ring every Sunday morning before church and leave it on the bathroom counter until I'm completely ready, so it stays shiny even when I wash my hands throughout the morning. I forgot to put it on this week until we were about to pull out of the driveway. I mentioned it to Leighton. He teased me about it before running in to grab it for me. Jake was very concerned and told me, "You have to wear it! Otherwise someone's going to come and try to marry you." 

5. Alyssa, about Nicholas: "He's like a super hero with his cuteness."

6. Zac: "Mom, did you know your eyelashes are as long as a Lego?"

7. Tyler: "Mama, how many more years until Christmas?" 

8. Zac, at dinner: "I get to sit next to you? Ooh, I get to sit next to the pretty girl!"

9. Our pile of Leafs.

 

10. Tyler, to Nicholas: "Baby, I like you."

 

11. Tyler: "What's the name of this Lego piece?"
Me: "Turntable."
Tyler: "That's right! How did you know?"
Me: "Because I'm so Lego savvy."
Jake: "What does that mean?"
Me: "It means I know about Legos."
Tyler: "You're so 'I know about Legos'? That's weird."  

What made you Smile this week?

 

Wordless Wednesday 101/14

Tasty Tuesday: Maple-Filled Pumpkin Spice Spritz Cookies

I am so excited that it's fall! This is my favorite season for so many reasons, but especially for the flavors: apples, pumpkins, cinnamon, nutmeg. Within the past few weeks we've already made pumpkin bread a few times and zucchini muffins. And cinnamon swirl bread, but we make that year-round. With all the bread baking, we were needing a change. These cookies were the perfect solution.

Not only do they taste yummy with just a hint of pumpkin spice, but look how adorable they are! The kids love whenever we pull out the cookie press. Treats are even more fun when they're in cute little shapes.

I love how the end of one color bled into the beginning of the new one in some of the cookies. I think it would be really pretty to fill the cookie press alternating the different colors. It would make wonderful multicolored leaves--perfect for fall!

While the cookies themselves are not quite as buttery as our typical spritz recipe, they make up for it with the maple filling. To me, they taste just like the maple cookies my grandparents used to buy in the bulk section of the grocery store. Leighton said they taste like a cross between pancakes and waffles. Haha, I guess the maple filling just means that we can eat these for breakfast!

Because you don't need a lot of filling for the cookies, I used the leftover goodness to frost a loaf of that cinnamon swirl bread I was talking about. And, yes, I most definitely ate a piece of that with my coffee for breakfast!


Whether you prefer these cookies by themselves or filled with maple goodness, why not make a batch to celebrate fall.

 

Pumpkin Spice Spritz Cookies
 Ingredients:
1 cup (16 tablespoons) butter softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
 food coloring (optional)

Directions:
1. With an electric mixer, beat butter and powdered sugar until fluffy, about 4-5 minutes.
2. Mix in the egg and vanilla extract until combined.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and pumpkin pie spice. Slowly mix dry ingredients in with the butter mixture until combined.
4. If using food coloring, separate the dough, and add coloring accordingly.
5. Fill the cookie press with dough and press cookies onto ungreased baking sheets.
6. Bake at 350* for 7-8 minutes, until firm and edges are just beginning to brown. Remove from oven and let stand for 2 minutes before transferring to cooling racks to cool completely.


Maple Filling
Ingredients:
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1/4 teaspoon maple extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar

Directions:
Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Blend in maple and vanilla extracts. Slowly beat in powdered sugar until combined.

Sandwich maple filling between 2 cookies.

Recipes adapted from diethood.

Things That Make Me Smile 11/15/13

Jake (7½), Alyssa (5½), Zac (4), Tyler (1½)

Wow, does it feel good to be caught up! I hope you're enjoying the weekend and finding reasons to smile.

1. Jake: "Is there really such a thing as a shoo fly?" 

2. Zac, who has always struggled with dressing himself, put on his pants backwards, his shirt inside out, and his socks twisted, but he did it, by himself.   

3. Zac, about his train track that splits into 2 separate parts: "Look! It's a two-headed track.

4.

5. Zac, while pretending to be a My Little Pony: "I'm Rainbow Butt!"

6. Zac, showing me papers he brought home from church: "See, Miss Sandy let me bring this home. I didn't stealed it. She let me. Wasn't that nice?"

7. Jake, after Tyler woke up from his nap, hugging him: "I missed you! But you're naughty."

8. Me, filling in birth dates on a survey: "What is Tyler?"

Alyssa: "A trouble baby."

9.

10. Zac: "Mommy, you make the best toast!"

11. Zac: "I love you. Do you have a cheese face?"

Me: "Uh, no."

Zac: "I wish you had a cheese face so I could eat you."


What made you smile this week?

Wordless Wednesday 4/17/13

Wordless Wednesday 11/2/11

Make It Monday: Hand-Print Fall Tree

Some parts of the country have talked about snow recently. Thankfully, here in Michigan we're still enjoying the bright sunshine glowing on the oranges, reds, and yellows of the trees. I'm glad the rain has finally stopped so we can enjoy the beauty of fall. 

Now it doesn't matter if it does continue to rain though. I have my very own colorful fall trees right in my kitchen.

Let your friend paint your arm and hand brown. Watch out - it tickles!

Press your arm down on a piece of paper. If there are some white spots visible when you lift your arm, simply fill them in with more brown paint. 

After you wash off all that excess cold brown paint, return the favor, and paint your friend. 

Please though, paint just his arm and hand.

 "Hi, Mom! Wanna hug?"

 Embellish your tree by using your finger to add dots of colorful leaves all around.

I had visions of glorious trees sprinkled with the colors of fall. Masterpieces to be hung on the kitchen wall, for sure.

What they painted was far different from what my idea of the pages was. They seemed more interested in painting other accents. Very little leaves were being added.

This was not the plan. These were not the works of art I was excited to see created. 

Or were they?

Jake's picture, on the top, shows the leaves gently floating to the the ground with the slight breeze. There are 2 piles of leaves that the daddy already raked up for the child to play in. The child is jumping off the tree swing into the larger pile. The house is visible in the background.

Alyssa's picture, on the bottom,  shows a huge gust of wind. The leaves are being swept away and blown all around in the chaos. A little red squirrel tries to take shelter from the breeze near the tree.

See, it's all about perspective. Upon closer evaluation, and taking the time to listen to their descriptions, I realized that these were, indeed, art at it's finest. They weren't at all what I envisioned, but that's what makes them true artists. They weren't restrained to paint what I saw, but what they saw, what they felt.  

These little ones of mine are creative and talented and have minds of their own. Who am I to try to stand in their way, making them reform to my way of creating things? 

These pictures are hanging on our kitchen wall. Right where they should be.

Make It Monday: Shaving Cream Leaves

I've wanted to do shaving cream painting with the kids for a while now. The beautiful colors of autumn leaves gave us the perfect opportunity to grab some supplies and make a mess.

Who cares that it's 70 degrees out and the kids asked if it's still summer.

Bring on the fall!

 Squirt shaving cream into a shallow dish.

 Spread it around to make it as smooth as possible.

Squirt paint in various fall colors onto the shaving cream and gently swirl it around.

Note to self: Buy orange paint!

Press a cardstock leaf lightly on the mixture.

 Remove the leaf and set aside for a few minutes.

Repeat.

Repeat.

Repeat until you run out of leaves.

 Scrape off the shaving cream leaving the paint behind.

This step is slightly messy.

Ok, this step is extremely messy. But totally worth it.

I realized that the more I scraped the popsicle stick across the leaf, the more the paint colors spread and blended. It would have been easier to set the leaf down and use a large piece of cardboard to scrap off the shaving cream in one swoop.

And the finished product!

I probably should have put the leaves up and taken a picture before it got dark, but you know, life happens.

Jake thinks we need to make more for the window. There are still a few empty spaces.

I'm sure we'll be shaving cream painting again. What I'm not sure of is whether they had more fun painting or more fun taking a shaving cream bath afterwards.

Make It Monday: Leafy Leaves

I so wanted today to be Tuesday. I can't wait to start baking with all those apples! Instead, we colored leaves with leaves. We used a leaf shaped paper punch to make red, yellow, orange, brown, and green maple leaves. Then, we glued them to large maple leaves that I printed. Any craft involving a paper punch and glue stick is a winner!

Jake did some extra punching since Alyssa needed help.

Zachy got in on the fun by eating colored Cheerios.

Hard at work.

This was before the whole table was covered in paper leaves!

Bet you'll never guess who made each one!

Theory Thursday: Leaf Chromatography

I thought it would be neat to see what colors the leaves of our trees will be changing to in a few weeks. The colors or pigments are already present, but are hidden by the chlorophyll needed for photosynthesis. It begins to break down though during the fall. We used chromatography, the separation of mixtures, to speed up the process.

We collected 2-3 large leaves from several different trees, making a pit stop 
at the garden to snack on cherry tomatoes. We used leaves from an unknown tree, 
and birch, cottonwood, lilac, and maple trees.

Cut the leaves into several small pieces and place them in a jar.

 Add enough rubbing alcohol to each jar to cover the leaves. Jake hated the smell!

Using a plastic knife or spoon, carefully chop and grind the leaves in the alcohol.

Cover the jars very loosely with lids or plastic wrap or aluminum foil. 

Place the jars carefully into a shallow tray containing 1 inch of hot tap water.

Keep the jars in the water for at least a half-hour, until the alcohol has become colored (the darker the better). Twirl each jar gently about every five minutes. Replace the hot water if it cools off.

 Remove jars from water and uncover. Place a strip of paper towel into each jar 

so that one end is in the alcohol. Bend the other end over the top of the jar.

The alcohol will travel up the paper, bringing the colors with it. After 30-90 minutes, 

the colors will travel different distances up the paper as the alcohol evaporates. 

 Remove the strips of paper, let them dry. You should be able to see different shades of green, possibly some yellow, orange or red, depending on the type of leaf.

Our strips were mostly green surrounded by a bit of yellow. The kids were completely unimpressed. I must admit, so was I. I was hoping to see some red and orange. Maybe we'll just have boring trees this fall. Only time will tell.


* UPDATE * 
 Yep, we just have boring trees in our yard. {pout} We'll just have to try it again with pretty trees.