Go Doodle Outer Space Set Review

Reviewed by Helen O

I was really pleased to be allocated the Go Doodle Outer Space set for review, as my 4 year old son is always looking for something new to do and after years of storing up endless colouring books, willing him to want to do some colouring in, the last couple of months he’s been an avid colourer, so this was perfect timing.

The set arrived really quickly and I was really impressed that it is letter-box size, so fit through my door with ease, without having to make a run for the door bell. It was packaged in a standard envelope and came through the door in pristine condition. The envelope, the cardboard box and sleeve are all fully recyclable, which is great in the current climate. I liked the outer sleeve, it is a lovely bright blue colour, with a simple design and gave precisely enough information for me to know what’s included in the box. This is a 100% soft touch reusable silicone mat (30cm x 40cm) and 8 wipe clean pens.

Upon removing the sleeve and opening the box, I also found a plastic zip-up travel pouch in which to store the mat and pens, which I think is a brilliant idea, meaning that the whole set can be easily packed away and can be taken out and about with you, as a handy little set. It is perfect for taking to a restaurant, to the grandparent’s or even away on holiday to keep the little ones entertained. It’s a perfect screen-free alternative, helping spark creativity, rather than relying on a screen to entertain children.

My son was keen to give the set a try, as soon as he got in from school. The wipe clean pens come in a good selection of colours – yellow, red, blue, pink, brown, green, purple and orange and glide on the silicone mat really smoothly, giving great coverage. The mat is attractively designed and has lots of different bits to colour including all the planets, the sun, satellites, an astronaut, the moon, stars, a flag and a space rocket. There’s so much to keep the little ones entertained and it certainly kept him out of mischief for a while, whilst requiring minimum supervision from me!

Once he’d finished colouring in all the different parts of the picture, we used a damp cloth to wipe the colours away. Most of which came off within 1 good wipe, however the purple was a bit more challenging, but I got it off in the end. It is advisable to wipe the mat straight after use, rather than leaving it until the next use, otherwise it could stain, I gave it a quick wipe with some paper towel to dry it, then folded it up and popped it in the zip-up bag along with the pens and we took it with us to see the grandparents. It came straight back out as soon as we’d arrived and he was keen to show it off. I’d say that’s a bit of a result!

Although there’s only a colouring pattern on one side of the mat, the reverse side could be used for free-hand drawing too or could be used for playing games too, such as noughts and crosses or hangman.

Both my son and I think the product is brilliant and would definitely recommend it to anyone with young children. It would make an ideal birthday present or alternative Easter gift. The product retails for £12.99 and I think this represents great value for money based on the quality of the product (mat & pens) and also the re-usability. The product is marketed at those age 3 years +.

Go Doodle have 2 other sets available ‘Dream Big’ and ‘Be Happy’ which have beautifully intricate designs, perhaps more suited to slightly older children. They offer the mat only packs, as an add on if you’ve already got a set with the pens. If I could suggest an improvement it would be to have an option for maybe 2 different design mats in the box, so you can alternate the designs and mix it up a bit, even if they were to charge a little more.

I hadn’t heard of Go Doodle before, so I had a look at their website and spotted that they are a partner of 1% for the planet. Through it’s membership, they commit to donating 1% of all gross sales each year to its approved environmental partners and supports the values of sustainability, kindness and positive change for the planet, which is another great reason to buy the product.

Rating out of 5: 5

RRP: £12.99

Buy here: https://godoodle.co.uk/