I'm trying to come up with some ideas on Christmas gifts for my five nieces. My nieces range in age 7 to 11. I already have other ideas on what to get them, but I looking for one more idea for each child.

I would like to know if anyone has any personal experience with the color wonder or color explosion products I listed below. Do these work the way they're supposed to? Can the kids do a lot with what is included in the kit? Should I consider going ahead and getting some refills if I plan on buying any of these products so that they can do more with it?

Crayola® Color Wonder™ Sprayer
Create amazing airbrush artwork, with Color Wonder Sprayer. Once the colorless paint touches the paper, fantastic colors magically appear. It won't mark skin or clothes.

Includes:
Color Wonder Sprayer Unit
4 Color Cartridges (Orange, Cyan, Green & Fuchsia)
Playmat
2 Color Wonder Broadline Markers (Black & Yellow)
12 Page Color Wonder Paper Tablet includes 9 pages of Plain Color Wonder Pages and 3 Pre-Printed Coloring Book Pages
3 Full Size Create-A-Scene Stencils
Undersea, Outerspace, Knights & Castle
1 Color Wonder Pop-up 3-D Figure (Dragon)
1 Color Wonder Magic Reveal Crayon (White)
Requires 4-C Batteries - Not Included


Crayola® Cutter Starter Kit
Crayola Cutter Starter Kit is a battery powered cutting tool that lets kids easily and safely cut from the middle of a page and cut precise, intricate, freehand shapes. The sleek cutting wand maneuvers like a pen, makes cutting as fun and easy as tracing!

Kit Includes:
Crayola Cutter and One Refill Cutting Tip
9 Sheets of Craft Paper
3 Sheets Acetate
3 Stencils
1 Envelope Pattern
1 Plastic Tube
1 Cardboard Photo Frame
1 Sheet Card Stock
Project Idea Booklet and Assembly and Usage Instruction Sheet
Requires 2-C Batteries - Not Included
Recommended for ages 6 and up

Crayola® Color Explosion Spinner
Crayola Color Explosion™ Spinner lets you create wild multicolored, 3-D effects with a single color-reveal marker! The unique clear-ink marker works only with black Color Explosion paper, revealing hidden colors for amazing designs.

Includes:
Spinner Unit with Variable and Strobe Lights
Color Explosion Clear solution and Marker
10 Sheets of Unique Color Explosion Paper
Idea Guide
Requires 3-C Batteries (Not Included)
Recommended for ages 6 and up


Crayola® Color Explosion™ Designer
Create great designs every time with the new Color Explosion™ Designer! Simply start drawing, slide lever and repeat to create awesome designs and patterns. With over 5 millions designs per disc, you’ll never run out of cool new ideas.
Includes:
Color Explosion Designer
2 Design Discs
20 Sheet Tablet of Black Color Explosion Paper
2 Color Explosion Markers
Recommended for Ages 6 and up.

Crayola® Color Explosion™ Glow Board
Light up your art with cool glowing designs and animated drawings on the new Color Explosion™ Glow Board! You can draw with awesome glowing markers. Surface lights make designs glow at the touch of a button. Use controls to light one of two layers or flash between the two! Perfect for hours of glow in the dark fun.
Includes:
Color Explosion Glow Board with 2 Drawing Surfaces
6 Glow Board Markers
Flip-Motion Image Sheet
(Requires 3 AA batteries – not included)

Recommended for Ages 6 and up.

By Luvn29 on Saturday, November 10, 2007 - 06:14 pm:

I've never used Color Explosion, but my kids have used Color Wonder paint and markers and they work wonderfully! My kids loved using them both. Can't go wrong with the Color Wonder!

By Bellajoe on Sunday, November 11, 2007 - 08:26 am:

We've had the Color Wonder markers and also the Color Explosion where it is black paper and they use the markers to draw and then the bright colors show up. That comes with a sort of stencil paper, to stencil some stuff. My kids liked it. WIth mine, it didn't really keep their interest for long. They used it the first day they got it and then forgot about it.

I never used any of the other things you listed though.

The markers only write on the special paper which is great. One thing though. I believe it was color wonder markers (but it may have been the "washable markers" that did write on my sister's table. It wasn't her kitchen table, it was her kids little table that they draw on and stuff. What did she do? She wrote to Crayola and told them what happened. They sent her a check to get a new "kiddie" table!!