My daughter loves arts and crafts and I’m a big fan of any toy that helps celebrate her creativity. So on a recent trip to Toys R Us I was more than happy to pick up the Crayola Paint Maker for her, especially since they were running a sale on Crayola stuff. I figured it was the perfect toy to keep her entertained for hours at home.

The Crayola Paint Maker (CPM) comes with a small container of white paint, utility tray, color strips and 15 containers for mixing and storing the paint. The color strips come in yellow, red and blue and the idea is to add those strips to the white paint to create a colorful new paint.

How the Crayola Paint Maker Works:

1. Fill-up one of the small containers with white paint
2. Using the color mixing chart as a guide, add 5 color strips to the white paint
3. Place the container on the mixer
4. Crank the mixer to shake the container to blend the color strips with the white paint
5. And Voila! Remove the container from the mixer stand and you’re ready to paint.

What I Like About the CPM:

• It helps kids learn color combinations and how primary colors can be mixed to make secondary colors.
• It’s lots of fun. From mixing the paint to painting with it afterwards, this toy really is something that offers hours of entertainment for kids.
• The utility tray with carrying handle allows you to fold-up the sides to make the unit more compact for storing it when not in use.

What I Don’t Like:

• Mixing the paint is a little tricky and for my 6 year-old, that meant that I had to help. The crank that shakes the container to mix the paint requires a little more muscle than young children may have. I also found it helpful to crank with one hand while holding the unit down with the other. My daughter was able to mix the paint on her own, but usually it required me helping at the end to give it a final mix.  I should also point out that the box recommends this for children 8 and older, so my daughter may be a little young for it, but I think that with help it’s perfect for younger kids too.
• There is a plastic backing on the color strips that needs to be removed before placing them in the white paint.  Removal of the backing was tricky for my daughter and required my help.
• I wish there were more supplies in the box. I found that the small quantity of white paint and the color strips provided were good for 1 day. They give you just enough paint to fill all of the small containers and just enough color strips too. My daughter was able to make all of the colors she wanted and once I learned that there were refills available I was much happier because I knew that this was a toy that she would use again.

Tips for Using the CPM:

1. Use two hands when mixing paint.  One to turn crank and one to hold down utility tray.
2. Use the color mixing chart as a guide and then add extra strips afterward to make unique color combinations. My daughter enjoyed coming up with her own colors, but when she first started by just adding different color strips, she ended up with a lot of brownish paint. I had her go back to the chart and then add 1 more color strip afterwards to play-around with making her own creations.  That strategy worked perfection and she came up with some really pretty colors!

Bottom Line:

My daughter had lots of fun using the Crayola Paint Maker and she was very happy with our purchase. I liked that it was reasonably priced (especially when on sale) and that it was a toy that allowed her to be creative and productive. So this art set is both mum and daughter approved!