We're using a lot of Waldorf ideas, and one of them is the idea that only the very best is good enough for the very young.
The young spongy minds of the Urchins soak up every nuance of the things they use and play with. We've already noticed how they respond differently to high quality playthings - their handmade dolls, for example, are treated as though they are real people, while the plastic dolls are left face down on the floor without a second thought.
We've stocked up on the recommended art supplies, and while they are heebie-jeebie expensive, they are truly great. We were feeling judgmental so we thought we'd evaluate and rank the Stockmar Kinder supplies.
The Beeswax crayons, sticks and blocks, bloody fantastic things. They could colour with these things all day every day and they just don't get used up.
I'll be amazed if we ever have to buy more. They were 25 bucks a tin, but they are gorgeous, creamy, smell like honey, don't break in half and show no signs of the slightest wear after weeks of use.
The paints, based on Geothe's colour wheel, are manufactured to mix perfectly, so the Rugrats learn how they mix to make secondary and tertiary colours etc.
You just buy the red, blue and yellow and let them discover, discover, discover. It's very cool. Gorgeous paints, they are actually watercolour concentrates so you have to mix them.
Only fly in the ointment is I was hoping they would come with mixing instructions, but they did not. I was unsure if I should just give them a blob of concentrate and a cup of water, or mix a bit with water in a bowl. I ended up mixing them, but they were runny and messy and I'm not sure I did it right. A search for help online left me more confused than ever, so if anyone knows how the hell to mix these things, drop us a line!
The cow-hair kinder brushes, well made, nice fat brushes that are easy for the Kidlets to grip, with a quality tip that enables them to express themselves well. I will never buy them cheap paintbrushes again. Well worth the 15 bucks a pop.Real drawing paper and real watercolour paper, didn't seem to be much point in scrimping at this point. Night and day compared to cheap white paper, it's heavy, textured, soaks up the paint, loves the crayons, very hefty and satisfying. Baby Man becomes attached to his current piece of paper and draws endlessly on one piece until at some magical moment it is "done." Paper is so heavy they can use the back too.
The modelling beeswax, lovely, translucent, honey-scented and quite magical. Also very hard to use when you are tiny. Takes a long time to warm up, doesn't respond too well to attempts to make it look like 'something' which seems to be a priority for the Wee Ones. They are happier with the salt dough I make them at this age, but might enjoy the beeswax more when they are older.HW
2 comments:
I know you posted this long ago, but this was very useful to me. I have been hemming and hawing about buying "the good stuff" - I think now I will just go and do it :)
thanks for the great review!
Hi! Glad to be of service. Wanted to mention that since I posted this, I've tried the beeswax again, and discovered the first batch I bought was very dry and hard (probably old). The wax we've had since then has been much fresher, softer and easier to work with, and they love it. Cheers!
Post a Comment