The Starry Night

* This post may contain affiliate links. 

My kiddos love creating art, whether they're drawing a picture, knitting a scarf, or molding a dish. We're all excited anytime we get a review that is art-related. They enjoy the process of creating masterpieces, while I appreciate the skills they are learning.  Sometimes the projects are open-ended and allow the child to freely create. This time though, Kidzaw.com sent us one of their Master Kitz to follow.

These kits are based on pieces of art from famous painters. They contain everything your child (or even you!) needs to recreate the painting. Though the kits make it simple to make a duplicate of the original, there are many opportunities to add a personal touch. In fact, I now own two versions of the 

Master Kitz The Starry Night that are even better than van Gogh's.

Kidzaw.com is an art company that is committed to teaching and training kids in art. Along with a focus on master painters, the materials concentrate on art history and techniques. Add in hands-on learning and messy fun, and you have an engaging tool for a strong art foundation for kids.

The Starry Night kit includes the following materials:

• A sturdy, re-usable art tool box with magnetic closures
• 3 acrylic paints (child friendly)
• 5 oil pastels (child friendly)
• 1 van Gogh roller specially designed to replicate van Gogh’s active stroke
• 1 re-usable Starry Night cyprus stencil
• 1 standard paint roller
• 2 pieces deluxe art paper
• 1 low tack “mesmerizing stars” sticker sheet
• Fun, easy-to-understand van Gogh learning materials
• Easy-to-follow step-by-step instructions

The instructions, or inspiration sheet, are easy-to-follow. Each step is numbered and includes a picture with a brief set of directions. The 12 steps cover everything from covering the workspace with newspaper to adding the final colored details.

Because all of the materials arrive in a small box, the papers and stencil are rolled to fit. You need to roll them in the opposite direction to flatten then out before starting your creation. After that, you're ready to add the star stickers and two colors of paint. Next, you remove the stickers, add the stencil,  and apply another coat of paint. Once you remove the stencil, you take a little break to allow the paint to dry. Finally, you use the oil pastels to color in the stars and add details to the rest of the painting. Feel free to admire your masterpiece and show it off to your friends! 

My 3-year-old begged for days to use the painting kit. The first free moment we had, we covered the kitchen table and got to work. As you can see from the pictures above, he did the majority of the project on his own, receiving a little assistance from his older sister for things like taping the paper and squirting the paint. I think those smiles are a good testimony to his feeling about the the kit!

My 10-year-old is the artsiest one in the family. You can find her daily working on one of her many crafts. After helping her little brother paint his picture, she got right to work creating her own Starry Night. To say that she loved it is an understatement. Before she had even completed her work, she told me she wanted to do it again. Within the next few days, she told me at least a dozen times that she wanted another one of the Master Kitz and even chose her favorite from the list.

The mini booklet that is included opens up completely to display the instructions while the other pages are filled with art history. The cover shows a self-portrait of van Gogh and gives a short biography of his life. The inside pages portray a timeline of his paintings, explaining how his style changed over the years and different situations that influenced his work.

My girl and I were in the thrift store a few days after the kids used this kit. As we were browsing through the frames and mirror section, she pointed and said, "Hey, that's van Gogh's Sunflowers." I looked up and sure enough, hanging on the wall was a giant replica of the famous painting. She was able to recognize it from our study. This kit is more than just painting your own version of The Starry Night; it is a thorough overview of Vincent van Gogh and his life's work.

Our family loved the Master Kitz The Starry Night! The materials were easy enough for my little one to use and detailed enough to interest my older one. We have repackaged the remaining supplies into the box to make more masterpieces with the other kids. The kit is a great way to learn about a master artist, art techniques, and art history while putting those skills to practice in your own painting.

We can't wait to see what we'll learn in our next Master Kitz from Kidzaw.com.

You can connect with Kidzaw.com on the following social media sites:

Facebook

Twitter

YouTube

You can check out more art projects by homeschoolers by reading the reviews of this kit on the Homeschool Review Crew blog.

* Some of the links in the content above are affiliate links. If you click on a link and purchase an item, I may receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I recommend products or services that I have used personally and all the text and opinions are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 225.

The Pencil Grip, Inc.

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:
Facebook
Twitter 
Pinterest

 
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.

Thin Stix

My kids love Kwik Stix from The Pencil Grip, Inc.. They enjoy them so much in fact, that we have a set of the classic colors, a set of the neon colors, and a set of the metallic colors! So when the company came out with the stix in a thinner version, I knew the kiddos would be pleased to try them out. 

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. 

If you haven't tried out Kwik Stix yet, you should! My kids like both sizes and appreciate the variety of colors. These are great art supplies to have in any home.

* We received this product in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. I was not paid monetarily for this post.

The Pencil Grip, Inc. Review

My kiddos love to draw, paint, and make crafts. I love seeing their creativity, but don't always appreciate the mess that comes along with it. Some days you just need a no-mess form of fun, am I right? That's why we were excited to try Kwik Stix Neons 6 pk and Kwik Stix Metallix 6 pk. These crafting supplies from The Pencil Grip, Inc. are just what we need on the no-extra-mess-please days.

The Pencil Grip, Inc. was started in 1992 by Dr Lois Provda, an educational therapist. The company has been selling unique and innovative products for the school, home, and office ever since. They offer the original ergonomic pencil grips (like this one we received) that encourage proper writing skills, textured products that appeal to sensory-seeking kids, basic office supplies, and more.

The Kwik Stix are solid tempera paint sticks. Now, 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.

Not only does do the stix save on supplies, they save on space, too. If I have the four older kids sitting at the table and painting at the same time, we quickly accumulate dozens of wet, sticky pages. My counters are covered in these creations until they dry. The fast-drying formula of the stix though allows the color to dry in only 90 seconds. That means that the pages can be placed in one big pile, without compromising the picture. When a child completes a page, he can immediately add it to the top of the pile, instead of finding an empty place on the counter . . . or desk . . . or table . . . or anywhere else that isn't already covered with wet painted pictures.

The Kwik Stix remind me of glue sticks or 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 though, so the completed project looks like it was painted.

    

We've used these stix on paper, coffee filters, wood (like 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.

We also own the Kwik Stix 12 pk which contains regular colors like red, blue, black, and white. Having the original colors along with the neons and metallix means that the kids have lots of choices to create anything they can dream of.

Their favorite thing is simply painting on a blank page, but my favorite is the bouquet of coffee filter flowers they made to adorn the kitchen table. Not only are they pretty and fun to make, but they also won't die in a week!

These stix are convenient, easy-to-use, easy-to-store, and mess-free. We keep all of ours in a plastic 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. They're simple enough for even our one-year-old to color pictures, too (even though our boy doesn't, you do need to watch to make sure little ones don't put the stix in their mouths).

The Kwix Stix have been a huge hit in our house--with kids and mom alike! They have told me many times how much they like having the stix. 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:
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest



If you'd like to see more cool creations using the Kwik Stix paint, please read the reviews on the Schoolhouse Review Crew blog.

Another Word of the Year: 2015

In case you didn't notice above I'll give the heads up right away. This is not Erika. I know, I know, it's irregular for me to write anything for the blog that was my idea in the first place. Let's get past that and move on, okay, I'm writing a post. Erika mentioned to me a few weeks back that she was going to do a "Word of the Year" post for 2015, and then she told me her word and I thought that was pretty cool. Then a word popped in my head that explained exactly what I need to be doing this year. I thought, 'Hmmm, maybe I need to make a word for the year.' Which didn't seem like a bad idea. Then I thought, 'Maybe I should write a post about it, too. Wait, I don't do well with post writing.' I now refer you to my, 2+ years in the making, post on our original visit to The Henry Ford. So it came down to, 'Well, the post will be a good first step in the right direction in fulfilling my word of the year.'

So, here is my first step in the right direction...

You see if you came to our house and took a good look around you'd notice a few things.

1. I like to do things myself. I have the mentality, 'Why pay someone else to do something I can do myself?' It saves me money in some places and teaches me lots in all. I enjoy creating things and am proud of the stuff I know how to do on my own.

...but you'd also notice...

2. I don't finish the things I do myself, very often. (the very often part of that statement is said very quietly because its not often at all...) I don't know. I just don't ever complete it. It's not that I don't 'want' to. It's just each project gets to a point where it is functional and I move on.

We have a number of unfinished items in our house:

Alyssa's doll house is still in two halves and the roof is 'removable' for easier second floor play, right? I didn't paint it so she could use her imagination as to what it ought to look like each time she plays with it. Good variety. (Insert sarcastic emoticon here)

Our attic ladder is still natural wood in color and has a somewhat large gap going around it for 'adequate ventilation' in the summer. Not to mention the stripped drywall paper layer from me learning the lesson about how to properly break and removed drywall. (Maybe we can discuss that another day. It's something I already knew.)

A more recent project was removing the old caulk from around the bathtub and put in new so it would look better, the last guy wasn't very tidy about it. This was supposed to be done before Nicholas was born. The old stuff is gone and a quarter of the new is in place. Then Nick was born, the day I was working on it no less....so there it sits.....uncomplete.

Then there is the cabinets. This is the big one. A few years ago, yes, years. Like multiple, more than three. We added cabinets along a bare wall in our kitchen. This gave Erika more space to hold things and a little more counter space to work on. We got the bare wood ones, you know so I could paint them. The plan was for me to paint the new as well as the old white. I researched how to do it right, what paint was best and what method was going to make it look great. I even bought a brand new HVLP paint sprayer to do the work, and then I did... nothing. Did I mention we even picked a color? Cloud White. Yeah, everything is technically in place but the work.

So, here I am now with a ton of unfinished projects, more than the four I've mentioned, and a word popped into my head...

FINISH.

So here is my accountability, in 2015 I am going to focus on finishing the projects that I have started over the past few years. That's not to say I won't start some new ones and leave them unfinished. ;)

Wordless Wednesday 11/27/13

Make It Monday: Love You To Pieces Card

We are so prepared. We've already made Leighton's Fathers Day gift for next year! 

What? You think 11 months in advance is too early?

 

Surely this can't be the card we made him 4 weeks ago. Right? Right???

Let's say we did give this to him a month ago and I'm just now sharing it. {ahem} Hypothetically, of course.   

You'll need pieces from a puzzle that you don't mind sacrificing. If you don't have any lying around with missing pieces, first of all, I commend you! Secondly, you can pick up a cheap one from the dollar store. You'll also need paint, brushes, letters (stickers, foam, chipboard, or hand-written.) Depending on your choice of letters, you might need glue, as well. You can make this on card stock, construction paper, or foam (like we did.) It would even be cute on canvas hung up on the wall.

  

Paint, paint, paint those pieces! We had so much fun decorating the silly shapes that we painted far more pieces than we needed for this project. It was neat to see how creative the kids were. I showed them how to paint one to look like a turtle, and their imaginations took off. It is also a good activity to practice their fine motor skills. 

Jake and Alyssa helped me find the letters to spell out "WE LOVE YOU TO PIECES." I hot-glued the letters and the puzzle pieces on the front.

For the inside of the card, I glued these questionnaires that they kids answers about their daddy. I asked them the questions one-on-one so they wouldn't hear each others answers and copy. Even so, it was interesting to see the things they answered the same. Some of their answers are totally wrong, some are completely right, and some are very funny.  

By Jacob, 6:

My dad is 29 years old.
My dad weighs 70 pounds.
My dad is 6-point-something tall.
My dad's favorite color is green.
My dad's favorite food is chicken.
My dad is really strong. He could lift a house.
My dad always says hi.
My dad is the best at working.
My dad's job is to drive a Bobcat.
My dad laughs when I'm being silly.
My dad and I like to go to work. (like this day)
My dad really loves when I obey.
I love my dad because he loves me.
It makes my dad happy when I obey.

By Alyssa, 4:

My dad is 29 years old.
My dad weighs 100 pounds.
My dad is {raises hand in air} this tall. Bigger than Mommy.
My dad's favorite color is green.
My dad's favorite food is anything Mommy makes.
My dad is really strong. He could lift a person.
My dad always says don't play with your gum.
My dad is the best at blinking.
My dad's job is to go to work.
My dad laughs when I be silly.
My dad and I like to play stuff.
My dad really loves Mommy.
I love my dad because he's the best.
It makes my dad happy when I obey him.

By Zac, 2:

My dad is 3 years old.
My dad weighs 2 pounds.
My dad is bigger!
My dad's favorite color is green.
My dad's favorite food is green.
My dad is really strong. He could lift wood to make our bunk beds.
My dad always says to work.
My dad is the best at work.
My dad's job is to make our bunk beds.
My dad laughs when the bunk beds.
My dad and I like to play Buckyballs.
My dad really loves to work.
I love my dad because.
It makes my dad happy when I color.

Happy Fathers Day 4 weeks ago . . . er, in 11 months . . . to the daddy of my babies. We loved you then and we'll love you still. Even though your job requires a lot of you (as shown in their answers) we know that you love us and work hard to provide our every need. I'm so pleased with the daddy you've become and proud to call you the father of my children.

Antioch Grand Prix

The past few weeks have included many nights with me secluded out on the porch doing more woodworking. I wasn't finishing the dollhouse, nor was I making any more beds. I was carving pinewood derby cars, three of them. It was supposed to be four, one for me, but I ran out of time. I thought about doing a step-by-step of the process, but they took enough time as it was. I couldn't imagine how much longer they would have taken. I'll tell you what I did. I just won't be able to show you.

When I asked Jake what kind of car he wanted he told me, "A race car that the hood opens." Really? Do you understand how this race works? Opening hoods don't matter, you're not going to do anything to the engine. It won't have an engine! After some talking we determined that winning a race was more important to him than the car looking cool. So we looked at other low profile cars for ideas. We decided on a design and cut the shape. I didn't start carving right away because I was more concerned with how much work I had to put into Alyssa's, so I started hers first. When Jake saw it take form, he decided looking cool was much more important. A completely new idea, and a new block of wood later; we were on our way. I decided on the Camaro aspect, he chose the black with green flames and the red number six.

Alyssa's design was easy to come up with, "I want a pink My Little Pony car!" "Pony Car!" A Mustang! Idea, easy; following through, not so much. I decided on basing it off the 2013 model on Ford's website and Alyssa decided on Pinky Pie being the art work.

When I asked Zac what kind of car he wanted,"I want blue one!" So the design was up to me. I chose to try and win a race with this one. While still trying to keep it stylish, I removed as much wood as possible. Once I finished the cutting, sanding, and priming I let Zac do the painting.

Zac's car did not require any extra wood but the other two did so that they would look real.

I used the standard block of wood you are given with the kit but added a piece of wood 1 1/2" wide and 1/2" inch thick (actual measure) to the car. Before I could glue it to the block I had to cut openings for the wheels.

I measured the distance from each end to the axle cut and mark it on the side pieces. I used a 1 1/4 inch spade drill bit to drill the openings. About one-third of the bit goes over the edge of the board, so clamp it down and go slow. Or drill just enough to get the line to follow the edge and cut it out with the scroll saw. I did some of each. Once the holes are done glue them right to the block with wood glue using clamps to hold it over night.

With the added wood the block would not fit under my scroll saw so I had to use a band saw. I simply cut out the basic shape with the saw and used a Dremel to do all the carving. Most of the work was done with a sanding bit, but a lot of excessive removal as well as much of the detail was done with a variety of high-speed cutters. Use what tools you have, but be PATIENT! Speed leads to mistakes. Trust me! When I was little my dad would cut the basic shape and I would do the rest with a pocket knife. It just takes longer.

I did just about all the priming and painting with sprays. The tail lights and some touch ups were done with acrylics. Use fine sand paper before you paint if you want a fine finish when you're done. A lot of people at the race thought our cars were plastic because of the finish. I also added a coat of clear to make them really shine. Word to the wise though, don't draw any designs with a Sharpie if you're gonna use clear coat. It makes the marker run.

The races went completely backwards of what I expected. I lost one of the polished axles that I prepped so I had to use a spare axle that was too tight of a fit for the wheels so Zac's car didn't go anywhere. Jake's car with it's blunt nose won second for speed and Alyssa's won third. I had assumed that their cars would not do well on the track due to how much wood was on them. But it turns out it comes down to what you do with your axles. Polish your axles, it pays off. But depending on the age, as long as they end up with a car to play with they're happy.

I already mentioned that Jake won second and Alyssa third for speed. But Alyssa also won first for design. I'm sure that had nothing to do with the pony to mustang reference.

Have you made any pinewwod cars? What creative designs did you come up with? Any cool paint jobs out there? Any success tips to share? Make a car and have fun!

Make It Monday: Painted Flower Pots

My mom faithfully reads my blog (love you, Mom!), so I couldn't share our Mother's Day craft before the gifts were given. This year, Jake and Alyssa painted flower pots to give to their grandma and great-grandma. What woman doesn't love flowers? Add a personalized pot, and you have a special gift to cherish forever.

We chose terracotta pots and acrylic paint, but you can use any sort of pot (ceramic, plastic, glass) and any paint (tempera, enamel, oil.) If you choose a washable paint, you might want to coat it with varnish or a clear acrylic spray to protect the artwork, especially if you plan to keep the pot outdoors.

 

 

 Once the paint dried, I hot-glued a strip of ribbon around the top.

 

The pots turned out so pretty! I wish I took pictures of all the sides. (Do cylinder pots have sides???) The kids put so much thought and effort into painting different things all around. They were so meticulous that they spent nearly an hour trying to make them special.

 Now I'm sad that I don't have any one-of-a-kind pots at my house! I'm definitely picking up some more next time I'm at the store. These unique pots will be the perfect compliment to my flowers.

What did you do for Mother's Day this year? Do you craft up something special? 

Make It Monday: A Pirate Ship, Sand Art, & Diverting A Crisis

I bought a wooden pirate ship kit on clearance a few weeks ago. I knew the kids would love it and that it would come in handy for a Monday project. When it was brought out today, it was met with much cheering.

Until we discussed how to decorate it.

Alyssa wanted it to look just like the picture on the box, complete with stripes across the sides. Jake wanted to paint it all brown since the stripes would be difficult to execute. Back and forth they went,  stripes - solid - stripes - solid - stripes - solid. Neither one would waver. They looked to me to tell them what to do. Nope, this was one thing they needed to figure out for themselves, teamwork and compromise.  

Ten minutes later . . . . solid - stripes - solid - stripes - solid. I continued to let them work it out. Finally, there was a slight compromise. Alyssa decided to cave on the stripes. And then we had a new clash, pink and purple - brown and black - pink and purple - brown and black. 

Five minutes into the new debate, when they both started to get frustrated, I realized that they weren't going to come to an agreement on their own. I went back to my supply of craft kits and grabbed another. I suggested that Jake paint and assemble the pirate ship by himself and Alyssa make the sand art kit by herself. Both kids were happy. And so was mommy.

Jake looked at the pieces, looked at the box, and said, "That's easy enough for me to do by myself."

 He painted it.

And assembled it in no time. Without asking for help. Without looking at any directions. I think he needs more of a challenge.

He even painted a skeleton on the stern of the ship. 

Yes, I totally Googled that.

Alyssa was giddy as soon as she saw the sand art kit.

Alyssa gets giddy about most art projects.

 She chose her colors and poured as much or as little as she wanted.

She completed the whole project entirely by herself, too.

Who said my kids could grow up anyway???

She used the stick to make patterns in the sand.

And it was so pretty!

Until she decided to shake the whole thing up. Over and over again. Smiling and laughing and dancing around the house. It's not how I would have done it, but it's what made my little girl happy. And she was quite proud of herself.

So, what I expected to be a learning situation for the kids turned into a learning situation for me. Sometimes, compromise doesn't have to mean 2 people coming to a single decision about 1 thing. It can mean 2 people doing 2 different things when a reasonable conclusion can't be reached. They each had very different ideas of how the kit should have been done. If I made them each paint part of the ship how they wanted, neither would have been happy. If I told them it had to be done according to one of their plans, the other would have been upset. By giving them another option, they were both happy and enjoyed the craft.

Crisis diverted.