We splurged on Aqua Dots a few weeks ago. They were on the expensive side for a craft. Even on sale the starter kit came in at sixteen dollars. The boys had seen the commercials though, so they wanted it. I thought it looked cute and justified the price because it would be a good exercise for fine motor coordination.
I have mixed opinions on this toy. The end product is very cute and colorful. So cute that it makes us want to make more. However, the kit did not come with enough “dots” to even make three small projects. You get a pen with channels for different colored beads. The boys had trouble loading the pen. The beads are small.
On the top of the pen is a sticky part that can catch runaway dots. The boys thought that was very fun. You are supposed to press the pen and a dot will pop out. I didn’t have trouble with it, but my younger sons (nine years old) did. They got frustrated quickly with the pen. I think it’s hard to aim and press at the same time.
The kit came with a couple of boards to build the designs on, and some cute printed patterns. We made the snail and the bee. Once you complete the design you are supposed to spritz it with water. A tiny spray bottle is included. Again, the younger boys had trouble with the spray bottle. And we had to use a good bit of water to get the beads to melt together. The advantage here over fuse beads is that a little water isn’t going to hurt anyone like a hot iron could. After you wet the project, you let it dry. We had to re-wet the other side because our designs curled up. I sprayed them and set them on the table with a cookie sheet on the top of them so they would dry flat.
The projects are very cute, even professional looking, but the product is a disappointment. It’s harder to use than it should be and I really think more supplies should have been included for the price. Still – if we see refills on sale I might buy them for a snow day project.
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