Imagination goes wild!

Faria and Ashaz dabble with the animal cut-outs to craft their story

We still can't decide if the elephant in our story will be named Goo Goo or Gary. There's an intense debate between our two tiny reviewers, Faria and Ashaz - aged six and eight years, respectively - on what would sound better. As they continue to discuss other elements of the story, we witness their imagination soar, and they begin to learn and understand better about India's wild animals. This Talking Canvas' Wild India Creative Box makes learning fun and creative. The two kids have spent the entire Sunday afternoon assembling the pre-cut animals, painting them in their perceived ‘right' shades and gluing their legs and horns to the body. Then there's another discussion on using (or not) googly eyes from their craft box, as it would make these animals look less real, says the younger one. Ah! There's some serious thought process there.

The blank storybook accompanying the kit is divided between the two with the older one taking the title of ‘author' while the other dons the hat of a ‘doodle artist'. It needs to be filled with their words and doodles, and we see it makes them feel more responsible towards the storyline. Thanks to the quality of paints provided in the kit, and that of the pre-cut animals, the final appearance of these animals looks perfect. The kids even learn to mix paint to come up with their own shade of light brown and grey. "Mom, the grey colour used in the elephant is different from what is used for the hippo," Faria points out. "The light brown must look like real skin colour," instructs Ashaz, as this writer helps them mix the paints. It was good that we had the kids wear home clothes because this activity can become a messy affair.

We liked how the kit works great for not just providing a canvas to let them create magic with patterns and colours but also for allowing them to benefit from the therapeutic process of creating a story. Next up, they plan to make a video of their story, animate it on an app and upload it on their personal YouTube channel for friends and family to watch.

Talking Canvas Wild India Creative Box
AGE GROUP: 5 to 7 years
TYPE: DIY activity kit
PRICE: Rs 499
RATING: 3/4
LOG ON: https://www.thetalkingcanvas.com/; @thetalkingcanvas