I received complimentary product for my review from Crayola featured in this post. The content and opinions expressed here remain 100% my own. |
Engineering for kids is a fascinating area of study because it feeds their natural curiosity. Taking things apart, wanting to understand how things work, and a desire to bring their imagination and creations to life are all innate tendencies of preschoolers. This week’s Architecture and Engineering for Kids activity presents a unique opportunity for kids to see their imagination and on-paper creations brought to virtual life right before their eyes with Crayola Alive Star Wars Virtual Design Pro.
Let Your Spaceship Take Flight
I know men and boys everywhere love Star Wars. I have a 9 year old nephew (and 40-something year old brother-in-law) who live, eat and breathe Star Wars. My girls have no general knowledge of Star Wars, and they worship at the alter of Disney Princesses. Usually. Until Crayola sent me their two latest Crayola Alive products: Crayola Alive Frozen and Crayola Alive Star Wars Virtual Design Pro.
As expected, as soon as I opened the box, fighting erupted over the Frozen book. To diffuse the argument, I asked Big M if she wanted to make a spaceship and fly it instead. She begrudgingly accepted the Star Wars box, and Lil’ M was pretty proud of herself for winning the Frozen battle.
While the girls colored away, I downloaded the two free apps to my iPhone and iPad. The Frozen coloring book images are brought to 3D life with Crayola Color Alive, while the Star Wars ships use Crayola Design Pro.
Crayola Alive Frozen
The Frozen coloring book includes its own back pocket flap for storing 7 enclosed crayons, including a special Frozen crayon. This makes it an ideal option for easy, on-the-go, portable entertainment. Lil’ M (age 2) wanted to bring the characters to life right away.
I used my iPad, and I must admit the free Crayola Color Alive app was a bit clunky, and the resulting images didn’t quite ‘leap off the page’, as they appear to on the cover. You have to hold it at just the right angle and if you move it too much, the character disappears. Lil’ M quickly lost interest and was more entertained just coloring in her book.
Crayola Alive Star Wars Virtual Design Pro
Meanwhile, Big M, who initially was disappointed with her choice, quickly became enthralled. The coloring book comes as part of a really nice boxed set, including both markers and colored pencils, and a space-themed box. The Design Pro app is much easier to use too.
The various Star Wars ships appear on two-page spreads. On the left page, it shows the assembled ship, and on the opposing page, it shows the ship broken down in components that you can color and design as you wish. Then, you use the app to scan the page. Your Star Wars ship will appear as you designed it in the app and can then be flown on missions!
I never thought I would live to see a day when my ‘I want to be a Princess Ballerina when I grow up’ daughter, requested Star Wars over Frozen, but it’s happened every day this week. She loves to color them, then announces, “Bring it to life!” For double the price of the Frozen book, it is totally worth it.
She needed a little help lining up the page just right for the iPhone camera to scan it properly the first time, but after that, took over from start to finish! And of course, both kids now fight over the Star Wars set, and I may even sneak in a turn or two myself.
Engineering for Kids
I sent a picture of our fun to my brother-in-law, who got online and ordered one in seconds. So this is a no-brainer gift for any Star Wars fan. But it is also an amazing, affordable option to let preschoolers experience the wonder of engineering… to see their imagination and creativity brought to 3D life off the page that they can interact and play with.
If you enjoyed this post, be sure to check out all the activities in our Architecture and Engineering for Kids series. You can find them all as well as our favorite STEM and Engineering for Kids post from around the web on our STEM for Kids – Engineering board on Pinterest!
Star Wars Unit Study
Just in time for May the 4th, you can get a complete FREE Star Wars unit study. Don’t miss these awesome Star Wars posts from our fellow favorite kids activity bloggers!
Star Wars Letter Find Pack | 3 Boys and a Dog
Star Wars Craft Ideas | Schooling a Monkey
Books about Outer Space from The Jenny Evolution
Star Wars Activity Books | Brain Power Boy
Light Saber Spelling | Parenting Chaos
Light Saber Color Matching | CraftCreateCalm
Star Wars Travel in National Parks and World Heritage Sites | FrogMom
Star Wars Count and Clip Cards | Raising Little Superheroes
Kids in the Kitchen: Make Star Wars Themed Jigglers | Crafty Mama in ME
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