Butterflies Kit

Product Description

Editorial Review
Re-create Mother Nature's beautiful designs on the wings of butterflies with this kit from Balitono. It includes 4-inch wooden butterflies that can be used as refrigerator magnets, hanging sculptures, window decorations, and toy treasures. The kit offers three butterflies, nontoxic acrylic paints in five colors, shiny varnish, and a paintbrush. Each figure also comes with a press-on magnet, hanging accessories, a suction cup (for window use), and a small gift tag. An easy-to-follow instruction sheet includes compelling facts about the nature of butterflies. Colorful illustrations on the box show a wide variety of butterflies young artists might like to paint. A coded diagram inside identifies each species by name. Children may want to give these items as gifts, use them to decorate their rooms, or simply use them in creative play. --Joan DeClaire

Amazon.com Teacher Review
Balitono's Butterflies kit--winner of an Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Seal award--is nothing short of terrific. It's as user-friendly for a 5-year-old as it is for a grandparent: the sturdy 4-inch wooden butterflies are large enough to be easily manipulated, the acrylic paint dries fast (and the colors stay brilliant), and slight variations in each of the hand-carved critters mean that no two are alike. Its best feature is that it can be as open-ended or specifically targeted as you want it to be. The generous size of the creatures' wings lends itself equally well to a young child's first attempts at managing a paintbrush or a science-minded lepidopterist reproducing the complicated patterns of a purple emperor. Depicted in glorious color on the box are 18 different species; kids will have fun identifying each using the key in the instructions. Almost everything you need is here: paints and brush, findings and suction cups for hanging, and magnets for refrigerator or locker display--even glossy varnish and gift tags. All you'll need to have on hand is some water for rinsing the brush, a bit of newspaper to cover your work surface, and an eager artist. We only wish there were more than three butterflies included in the set, so the magic would last a little longer. --A former home school educator, Julie Robinson currently manages a hands-on lab employing three gifted and professional toy testers ranging in age from 5 to 12.

Product Details

• ASIN: B00000IS3P
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (22 customer reviews)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

129 of 131 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun Art Kit, December 7, 2001

By A Customer

Durability:4.0 out of 5 stars Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars Educational:5.0 out of 5 stars 

We recently did this paint your butterflies kit on a gloomy day. When we opened the box, I really did not expect to spend too much time to finish it but it was one of those projects that you can finish quickly or be really creative and have hours of fun. Everything you need is in the box, the main objects are 3 life-sized wood butterflies that look real, I was expecting those flat ones that you see in some craft stores but these are so nicely done that my 9 year old said she will keep forever. She was very proud of her creations, my husband and I each got the ornaments with gift cards and she kept one as a magnet for herself. She also learned about butterflies from the information included and the incredibly detailed identified box. We got 6 more kits for her cousins and they all loved it.

76 of 77 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A fun learning experience for a child or adult!, July 22, 1999

By A Customer

Durability:3.0 out of 5 stars Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars Educational:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This kit is both educational and fun, and while it only comes with three wooden butterflys, they are of very good quality. The kit also includes all the supplies you need for completing the project (unusual for most kits). The box comes with lots of information about butterflys which is wonderfully detailed and interesting. The butterflys are painted by your children so you do need to understand that they will turn out how your child plans and paints them - not like the pictures on the box. I loved the results and they are definately something for the long-term memento collection.

76 of 78 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Memory!!, December 7, 2001

By A Customer

Durability:4.0 out of 5 stars Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars Educational:5.0 out of 5 stars 

My 8-year old daughter received this Paint the Wild Butterflies as a birthday gift, when we started the project together, I was surprised that my 5-year son got really into it too. We had a really wonderful time painting, imagining and laughing at the table while doing this project. I have never seen activity kits with actual handcrafted wood and the butterflies actually look life-like as opposed to be machined made. The paints are suprisingly good quality, it dried quickly and we were able to change colors and added stripes and spots. I did wish there was more than 1 paintbrush to do all 3 at the same time. My daughter made it into a eye-catching ornament with gift card for her dad and my son and I each made a magnet. It is most definitely a memorable project and it captured my kids' artistic expressions which I am sure will bring smiles years from now.