Vox Publica

I got Alex Toys Paint Ice Beads and Jingle Jewelry Kit, after the kids and I made a couple of necklaces with the Girlfitti Magna Style Jewelry Kit which my mother got for the girls. They enjoyed that kit, so I thought they would like these as well.

And indeed, they did. They loved painting the "ice" (a.k.a. glass) beads in the first kit, and they loved the idea of jingle jewelry in the second kit. But... they weren't too big on making the jewelry itself. The beads that come with the kits are very small, and the possibilities for creativity, at least with the ice set, are limited. So they haven't gone beyond painting beads on that set.

We fared even worse with the Jingle Jewelry Kit. The first problem was that the kit didn't have any written instructions as to how to make the jewelry, just drawings of the steps. Alas, if you've never made jewelry before the steps could seem puzzling. But beyond that, using the jingles means having to knot the cord in precise places before and after putting specific beads - not an easy endeavor for me, much less for two little girls who barely know how to tie knots. Let's just say that the enthusiasm for the kits did not last very long.

In all, now that I have gotten more beads, those two kits seem rather expensive for what they are (but that's true of all of Alex's kits). Still, the kids liked painting those beads so much that I'll try to find some transparent beads for them to paint.