Magic Puffy — colour it, wet it, watch it rise

Colour in a flat sponge shape, brush water across it, and it swells — the coloured part rises into a soft puffy charm while the outline stays put. Fifteen to make, and six keyrings for hanging the best ones.

What it builds

• Colouring inside a line, on a surface small enough that it takes real care
• Cause and effect at a scale a three-year-old can see happening, in seconds
• Patience, because the puff keeps changing for a minute after the water goes on
• Finishing something — the charm goes on a bag, so the craft has a destination

Why we stock it

Most craft kits make a thing that ends up in a drawer. This one makes fifteen small things a child can wear on a school bag, which is the difference between a rainy afternoon and a toy. The transformation is the hook and it does not wear off — the fifteenth one is still worth watching.

The details

Age

3 and up

Makes

15 puffs

Designs

Unicorns, princesses, cakes, balloons

Water pens

2, refillable

Keyrings

6

Puffs in

Seconds. Dries hard in a day.

Needs

Tap water. No glue, no scissors.

In the box

Fifteen printed sponge shapes, two water pens and six keyrings. Fill a pen from the tap and it is ready — nothing to charge, nothing to mix.

Care

Leave a finished puff a full day before it goes on a bag; hung wet it tears at the hole. It is a decorative charm rather than a toy — it stays soft and squashy, so it will not survive being sat on. Cap the pens and keep the unused sponges flat and dry in the box, out of the sun.