Ignite Your Child’s Creativity with ItsySparks

Keeping little ones entertained is, certainly, a task that is much easier said than done. When you add in the fact that many older siblings want to do, well, “big kid” activities – such as painting, cutting, and gluing – and you could, very well, end up getting yourself into an entire day’s worth of mess making. Now, as much as I enjoy (not!) spending my evenings cleaning up after rambunctious children, I really do enjoy the mess making just as much as the kids. Finding little crafts and projects that satisfy, both, the requests of older children as well as the short attention spans of the younger ones has been the stalling point for many of our adventures… until now.

I was recently introduced to ItsySparks, a monthly subscription based activity kit that brings loads of fun straight to your door. The kit, geared towards children ages 3 to 7, offers in-home learning and exploration through numerous hands-on projects. Each ItsySparks kit features at least three activities (all materials provided) that put focus on the simple creative and explorative needs of every child. Each project also comes with a list of “Sparks” that help children make real world connections with their very own creation. I’ve found that these “Sparks” allow for conversational time with my children in addition to the project itself. These also help to further a child’s learning of and exploration into one of the five educational areas of science, books, language, food, and mobile activity.

My children received an ItsySparks kit that focused on the four seasons. Since the weather had finally begun to change and the signs of spring were starting to become noticeable, it was the perfect timing to get their creative juices flowing with ItsySparks.

The spring activity, Grassy Friend, was something that the kids ended up looking forward to on a daily basis. After, first, decorating the cup, we filled it with soil and planted the grass seeds as a family. The children, then, took turns watering our new friend and patiently waiting for his “cool dude hair” to grow. We set him atop our kitchen windowsill and the kids took care of him each day. To my surprise, only a few days had passed before we saw the first signs of his new do. The boys were so excited that they had their very own plant friend and were proud to have done it themselves.

Unfortunately, our little friend met his demise when our kitten decided that it’d be better suited as a midnight snack. However, the kids are now adamant about continuing our little gardening adventure and have made a request to grow their very own tomatoes. If it weren’t for ItsySparks, I doubt that I would’ve embarked on this particular task just yet. It just goes to show you that little ones, despite their size and age, are very capable of even the messiest, yet rewarding, tasks as long as you give them the opportunity to try.

The summer activity was probably my favorite of the four. The simple task of making a paper, Hawaiian lei coupled with the “Sparks” conversation turned into the meaning of family. After learning a few Hawaiian words and phrases through the ItsySparks kit, the kids were determined to learn more.

Once the project was completed we, decorated with our new lei of course, sat down to watch a Disney favorite, Lilo & Stitch, and the children learned that “’ohana” means family in the Hawaiian language. Seeing the kids’ desire to learn, especially of a topic so simply complex, was heartwarming. Their ItsySparks lei was, then, gifted to me because ‘ohana means family and family means love. It was wonderful to have a quick little project turn into a daylong learning experience filled with memories that we’ll cherish. That is exactly what ItsySparks is all about.

Of course, winter and fall themed activities were also included in the ItsySparks kit and have made wonderful little artistic additions to our home.

I loved our ItsySparks kit and look forward to making this a regular event. The kits can be purchased through the ItsySparks website for $24.99 per month or you can choose their 6 or 12-month plans. The ItsySparks company has definitely made a not so “itsy” impression on our lives and I am beyond thrilled with the family creativity time that it brings to the table – literally. I highly recommend giving their kits a try as well as checking out their social media pages through Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. Along with providing endless amounts of fun-filled learning through the ItsySparks kits, online, they share a slew of ideas, fun facts, tips and tricks, and even chances at winning great prizes… like your very own ItsySparks kit perhaps…?

Yes, you’ve guessed it! The ItsySparks team is giving one lucky Eighty MPH Mom reader a kit to share with your child(ren) and the chance to ignite their minds through creative learning.

The Giveaway:

One (1) winner will receive an ItsySparks ItsyKit.

Giveaway open to US residents only. Ends 4/21/13. ARV of $24.99.

*Randi received the above product(s), free of charge, to facilitate this review. All opinions are those of reviewer only.