When I was contacted to review a Glow Art board, my interest was immediately piqued. It’s a transparent neon effect board that allows kids to draw, trace and colour anything they want at any time. I had not see them before, but as I have a creative 6 year old here, I looked into them a little more, and discovered this video giving an overview of the product and what it can do….
I love the light effects! Now, I’m sure I am not alone when I say I sometimes see products that I think look amazing, but then doubt they will be that good in reality? Yes, I am a toy cynic. So I was keen to see what my kids would make of the Glow Art board, especially my daughter as she absolutely adores her art and drawing. So she first sat and watched each of the YouTube videos showing her what the board can do and how to create different effects as I told her I could get her one. She loved watching them and was desperate for a board by the time they had finished, so fortunately, I had one ready and waiting for her!
The boards come in a slim box containing one board, four colouring pens and simple instructions. They do require 3 AA batteries, so we had to have a good old rummage to get both of the kids boards up and running.
The boards are light to handle and they feel sturdy enough for children, though I would caution against stepping on them – not sure they’d cope with that! They come in two colours, so Boo has a pink board and Little Man has a black one.
Once the batteries are in, they are good to go, so the kids got scribbling..
The pens are bright and colourful, and wipe away easily with a little kitchen roll or cloth. There’s a button you can see there on the right which operates the lights, and it can be switched off on the back of the board. The lights show up clearly in daylight and look even better in the dark! You’ll be able to see all of the different effects over on their YouTube channel.
Little Man, at 3, got in on the action, too. He started off by scribbling and experimenting with the different colours. He then asked Daddy to trace some pictures for him…
Which then got them both into tracing, a great extra dimension with these, I think. They are clear and work on both sides, so simply slot a book or picture underneath them, and trace away.
The Verdict?
I am impressed with these. I am pleased to find that they do live up to the videos and the kids love them.
For Boo, it is brilliant. She adores hers and has been drawing and doodling on it every day since she received it. She enjoys trying out the different effects, such as the frozen and 3D effects. It’s also so easily portable, so it has been out with us to her grandparents, for all to draw on there and I can see that they will make great travel toys. It’s early days, but there have been many, many pictures drawn on this so far and I see no signs of scratches or wear and tear yet.
It’s fair to say that it doesn’t hold Little Man’s attention as long as it does Boo’s, but then nothing does. What did interest me is that when his friend came to play a few days after he received this, this was the very first thing that he got out to show him, and proudly demonstrated to him how it worked. I can see this being brilliant for my son going forward as he learns to write, as it’s a lot more interesting to write on this than on paper. The ability to trace, or copy any writing that I put on the reverse will also be great for him as he masters his letters and numbers. I see this being a key homework tool for him in Reception.
Competition Time!
I now have a Glow Art Board up for grabs. To be in with a chance of winning it, enter using the rafflecopter below. The competition is open to UK entrants only and closes at 12am 18th August 2016. Good luck!