More than five years into my gig as a parent, every day is still an incredible thing as my wife and I watch our girls learn and grow, while embracing both their creative side and thirst for adventure. We do a lot of arts and crafts here at Rock Father HQ, all of which reflect our girls’ diverse interests. We’ve gone full-blown Royal, making countless Princess Wands and Tiaras… have gone to Outer Space with planets and spacecraft… have worked with wax, paper, felt, glue and a ton of glitter over the years. Last week, during one of our school-canceling “cold days” (not a “snow day,” but a -40° windchill) my oldest and I dug into something new – an activity kit from Seedling, a New Zealand-based company that’s just started hitting the U.S. in a big way after merging with P.S. XO in a move that brought Seedling Founder/CEO Phoebe Hayman together with partners Kara Nortman and Soleil Moon Frye (who I watched regularly as Punky Brewster when that show was new). Their toys and kits tap into something that I’ve discussed many times over the years – letting kids be kids, and letting them play with what they want and follow their own interests. The kit that Addie and I worked on played right into her heroic side… a chance to design her own superhero cape. While I was there for a little fine-tuning with the scissors and glue, she really didn’t need me, as the outcome was all her.
Packed with all the tools needed (sans a scissors and imagination), Seedling’s Design Your Own Superhero Cape Kit was met with excitement right out of the box (even prior to being opened), and provided a fine afternoon of fun and creativity while Little Finley was taking a nap. Addie started by plotting her ideas in a sketch using the provided template. The general gist was there – she knew she wanted buttons on it and a stylized “A” (which I’d help with), along with some ribbons to be done as “medals” (to look like her heroic persona had received awards for good deeds) and “power patches” that would somehow house special powers, later to release them when needed (I was never able to figure out exactly what said powers would be).
The outcome? A vibrant pink cape filled with artistic flourishes that Addie not only loves, but is proud of as well.
Design your own Superhero Cape Kit Includes:
- Pink Superhero Cape
- Craft Glue
- Brush
- Eva Sheets & Stars
- Felt Sheets
- Coloured Pencils
- Design Page
- Glitter Glue
- Tips for your design
While our kit was sent to us for review, we did spot some sweet Seedling items available for sale at Macy’s being touted as “stocking stuffers” during the recent holiday season…
If this is any indication, I expect we’ll be seeing a lot more great things from Seedling in the years ahead.
Learn more, or shop for activity kits at http://www.shopseedling.com/
