ALEXToys Little Hands Paper Tube Ocean

I love these ALEX craft kits. They are perfect when you're visiting family and need to keep a little one entertained, they are a wonderful group activity when you have friends over, and they can be just what you need to get you through a long Friday afternoon. We've done everything from the bird pops to the paper bag puppets but this kit is our hands-down favorite.Each creature has a ton of personality and different textures. You get to try a lot of different techniques for each creature all well-- gluing, cutting, crinkling, sticking stickers. There's also room in this craft to make these creatures uniquely.We were given TWO of this kit around the holidays and we've had fun making both kits and the results were quite different. The creatures are now playtime friends and they're surprisingly sturdy! Highly recommend for anyone with crafty toddlers/early elementary kids.

I don't know what I was expecting from this toy but I bought it when the price dipped and stuck it away in my closet. I recently gave it to my 4.5 year old twins and they absolutely LOVED it!The kit comes with all the supplies to make 4 different ocean animals. The supplies for each are neatly labeled in separate bags that my daughter's could easily choose which to make. The "instruction" sheet lacks much instruction but it was still quite easy for them to figure out.It was also very flexible. Having two VERY different twins was extra apparent doing these projects!Twin 1 is very much a follow the rules type of kid. Everything has it's place and she made each animal EXACTLY as it was shown. She carefully used the materials and was able to make them all mostly herself and enjoyed the whole process. She loves to follow directions so a few more steps would have been nice but she was still able to work it all out.Twin 2 didn't make one ocean animal. She ended up just combining all the supplies and making herself a little pair of drums. But she had SO much fun doing it and the supplies included gave her ample opportunity to make it exactly how she wanted it to be. She still has one unopened kit left but I doubt she'll actually make the animal but I can guarantee she'll find something creative to do with them.This ended up being multiple days worth of independent projects for my girls and they thoroughly enjoyed it. Keep an eye on the price though because I did pay around $4 per kit a few days before Christmas.

With the cold weather lately I've been in need of some fun new ways to keep my toddler (21 months) entertained indoors so since she loves to do crafts I purchased this kit as an "add-on" and I am super happy with it! It comes with enough supplies (individual to each animal- thank you whoever came up with that idea!) to make four different paper tube animals. I was a little apprehensive that they would just be like the little tubs inside toilet paper but they are much thicker and much sturdier. While I obviously had to help my 21 month old she enjoyed gluing things with the giant glue stick. I think my favorite part is that I can just pull out an animal and all the supplies for that particular one are right there and it keeps her entertained gluing and placing stickers for a little while. There is a sheet included with picture instructions but I can't for the life of me figure out a good way to attach the pipe cleaners to the jellyfish with the glue stick (I'm thinking we might need to use tape or maybe I'll hot glue them). Overall though for the price I was super impressed and I think I might get another kit for backup on rainy/snowy days.

I bought this set for my 4 year old for christmas, and he loved it. He loves to do craft projects. It was slightly difficult for him to do this and he needed a lot of help with it. I think it may be geared for kids a little older, but with help a 4 year old can complete it. I like that it comes with everything you need to complete the project and it's ready to go. It is great for a cold or rainy day when you can not go outside to play. It also gives kids the chance to use the creative side of their brain.The kit comes with all the supplies to make 4 different ocean animals. The supplies for each are neatly labeled in separate bags that my son could easily choose which to make. The "instruction" sheet lacks much instruction but it was still quite easy for him to figure out with the help from me.It was also very flexible, meaning if he wanted the animal t look different he could make it look different.This ended up being multiple days worth of projects for my son and he thoroughly enjoyed it. Keep an eye on the price though because I did pay around $4 per kit before Christmas. I assume the price will probably drop again.

Frustration.Irritation.And a small amount of rage.This product is so cute. It looks like a fun easy activity to do. Says it's great for preschoolers. A total win right? Wrong. So very wrong. The glue stick that comes with it wouldn't hold a single piece onto the tube. I ended up using my crafting glue instead. The stickers pulled the backing off of the sheets with them so I had to pick them apart so my kids could use them. Absolutely the most frustrating project I've ever done with my kids and I've had several Pinterest fails that were less frustrating.I bought three different kits from Alex Toys and two of the three have been the exact same way. I'm dreading the fact that my kids are so excited to do the third. It's like a little box of torture just waiting to be done.