Despite being a gear geek, I still want my kids to have activities for inside that are not on a television or video game system. In their life, most of what they know come either of those ways. We do play with Lego toys, slot car tracks and board games, but those get old to the boys. What we need is something unique that seems magic. Enter GlowCrazy which happens to be both unique and does seem like magic. The good folks at GlowCrazy sent me and my boys a sample for review. My boys play hard and are self named experts in toys, so I knew we could get a great review. Let’s see what the boys thought!
GlowCrazy, is a cool toy for kids that allows them (or dad) to draw using light. A special paper attaches to a wall, ceiling or anywhere you like and the GlowCrazy light doodler shoots a blue light beam that causes the paper to glow and become instant art. There are similar products, but none of them can stick to the wall or have the cool doodler which is called “the laser” by my boys. The kids are able to write and draw on the wall clings from up to 10 feet away. We attached both canvases to the back of their bedroom door to create one large drawing surface. In fact, using the GlowCrazy is just about the only time my boys will stay in a dark room for more than a few seconds.
The GlowCrazy package comes with everything you need to get started immediately. The dual action light wand is included and we will discuss in just a bit. Also included are two wall clings measuring 11 3/4″ x 30 1/2″. Like I stated earlier, we chose to stack the wall clings on top of each other to make one larger surface. Four stencils are included to “paint.” The yellow stencil includes the moon and some stars, pink has a school of fish, sea turtle and seahorse, the blue contains a rocket, flying saucer and flames and the green has a motorcycle, truck and car. To use the stencils, simply hold them up to the canvas and use the lightwand to paint inside the lines. My boys like for me to hold the stencils as they design and create special pieces of art. Peyton designed one that had the sea creatures in an ocean with a palm tree, the vehicles on land and of course the stars and spacecraft above. We had to move quickly to make sure the entire piece was glowing, but he was extremely proud of it.
The magic of GlowCrazy is in the special wall clings. They are made of light sensitive material that will glow for a few minutes after being sprayed with light. The Magic Lightwand delivers the perfect amount of light to draw nice glowing lines on the canvas. Basically a blue/purple laser type light is produced by the wand that is both pleasant on the eyes as well as super effective on the paper. Like I said earlier, there are similar products, but the Lightwand gives kids the ability to draw on the wall clings from long distances. There is also another button on the wand that shoots a wide array of light. We used this beam when doing silhouettes of our hands or heads. The light is not near as concentrated, so instead of a fine line of glow it is like spray painting the canvas. My kids are 3 and 6 and had no problems operating the Lightwand and drawing some really cool stuff.
GlowCrazy is a simple, yet extremely fun toy. Being the son of an artist, I like to expose my boys to toys that require them to be creative and actually create their own art. They use this product like you would paper and crayon to draw, but the fact that they are drawing in glow makes it that much more exciting for them. After bath time and just before bed, I always let them fire up the Lightwand and make some creations. It is a little time we can spend together without them looking at a screen of any kind. They have come to love playing with the GlowCrazy. I asked Peyton (6) to tell me what he thought about the product and he said, “It is a great little light glow. You can make anything if you want on it. You can make puppet fingers if you put your hand in front of it to make a shadow.” Riley (3) said, “It’s good. You can play tic tac toe.” Bottom line, my boys like to play with the Wii, DS and iPhones, but they will come running if I ask if they want to play with the GlowCrazy.
GlowCrazy
MSRP: $24.99 + $7.95 shipping.
What I like: Unique toy that requires creativity and provides an escape from the usual electronic entertainment.
What could be improved: I may have to get another set up so both boys can play at the same time.
Review: GlowCrazy Glow-In-The-Dark Fun | Gear Diary: We attached both canvases to the back of their bedroom door… http://bit.ly/gRtPbP
Review: GlowCrazy Glow-In-The-Dark Fun | Gear Diary: We attached both canvases to the back of their bedroom door… http://bit.ly/hL1l3c
Latest on Glow news. Review: GlowCrazy Glow-In-The-Dark Fun | Gear Diary: A special paper attaches to a wall, ce… http://bit.ly/h4B0cW
Latest on Glow news. Review: GlowCrazy Glow-In-The-Dark Fun | Gear Diary: A special paper attaches to a wall, ce… http://bit.ly/h4B0cW