Disney Stitch Aquabeads Review
DISCLOSURE -THIS ITEM WAS GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW. ALL THOUGHTS AND OPINIONS ARE THE REVIEWER’S OWN.
Reviewed by Dottie Rood
Having seven grandchildren I was very pleased to be able to review, Disney Stitch Aquabeads, my eldest granddaughter has had them in the past and my youngest granddaughter had always been very keen to try them.
So, what are Aquabeads? Aquabeads are small beads that come in a range of colours some of which are shiny, jewelled, textures and ‘shaped’ and when sprayed with water will stay stuck together in the design you have created. They are made from nontoxic materials that comply with ‘Toy Safety Standards’. They were created by EPOCH Company Limited in 2004 and have become popular in a number of countries.
The Aquabeads arrived in a very compact box with good clear illustrations of what can be made on the front. The colours were bright and appealing and were immediately recognisable as a ‘Stitch’ product. Inside the box there are seven small plastic bags with a variety of ‘beads’ inside. Four of the bags had 1 colour in each, two with shades of pink, a dark blue and a light blue, the other three bags had mixed beads inside. There is a plastic frame to put your design on, a nifty little spray bottle for the water and two plastic keyring connectors. These are in the recognisable colour of the Stitch blue, a nice touch I thought. The box also contained a leaflet with ‘Hints and Tips’, Notes, and Information for Parents, this was in twenty five different languages!
There is also a leaflet with additional products using Aquabeads that can be purchased on one side and on the other side designs that you can make and how many beads plus what colour beads you need for each design. There was a mix of designs ranging from a helicopter to a small dinosaur and also included ice-creams, puppies, kittens and flowers, something for everyone. Another leaflet was enclosed that had each of the designs that could be done with the Aquabeads inside this box. These included a ‘Stitch face’, Stitch in a sitting position, two different coloured sunglasses, a guitar, a pineapple and an ice-cream making this a good starter kit for your ‘Stitch’ lover. The other side of this leaflet had a really good ‘pictorial’ guide on how to complete each design and I was keen to see if the children could follow it.
My 8 year old granddaughter and 6 year old granddaughter were coming to stay and were very excited to try out the Disney Stitch Aquabeads activity so we covered the table and got everything ready to enjoy ourselves.
They were both very keen to take all the beads out of the plastic bags but as they are beads that easily roll away I persuaded them to put each colour into little dishes so they could pick up the colours as they needed them. The youngest granddaughter chose the Stitch face and tried hard to follow the pictures on the leaflet but being a bit of an ‘independent’ child she kept trying to just ‘stick’ the beads into the holes!
When I explained the plastic tray had to be over the design and then each colour filled in she began to understand what she was supposed to do. This activity kept her occupied for well over half an hour and she was engrossed the whole time. She loved using the water spray and even understood the visual symbols that had a hand with a ‘crossed’ red circle on top of it and a little clock with 60’ inside meant “don’t touch” although she wasn’t sure for how long. When it was my elder granddaughter’s turn she wanted to do it all on her own (she had seen her older cousin using them!) She did really well when following the pictorial instructions with excellent results. They both then gave the smaller designs a go, again with good results and said they had really enjoyed this activity.
This is a good starter kit for children who have never used them before and as suggested on the front of the box I think 4+ is a good, recommended age although some children may need adult support. The box also mentions keeping the beads away from children under 3 years of age. Older children will also enjoy producing their own designs and making lots of different items.
Rating: 5/5
RRP: £14.99
This product can be purchased from www.amazon.co.uk