Water elf kit — 29 pieces, in a lidded box

Squeeze coloured gel into a mould, lower it into a bowl of the prepared water, and lift out a solid squishy animal a few seconds later. It is a real chemical reaction, and watching it happen the first time is the whole point.

What it builds

• A first look at chemistry that is not a diagram — two harmless liquids meet and make a skin
• Following a sequence, because the steps only work in order
• Patience, since the shape holds straight away but takes hours to firm all the way through
• A steady hand — how fast you squeeze decides how clean the edges come out

Why we stock it

Most craft kits make one thing and then the box is finished. This one makes about thirty, and children stop following the moulds after the first few — two colours in the same shape, a shell around a smaller elf, an animal made in the wrong colour on purpose. The moulds are a starting point rather than the activity.

The details

Age

6 and up

Pieces

29 — gels, moulds, powder, brush, scoop

Makes

About 30, depending on size

Sets

Seconds to hold, about 4 hours to firm

Water

Room-temperature tap water

Box

25.5 × 16 × 15.5 cm, latching lid

Safety

Not a bath toy. Adult sets up. Not for mouths.

In the box

Bottles of coloured gel, the powder that goes in the water, a set of moulds, a brush and a scoop for lifting the elves out — all inside a clear box with a latching lid that everything goes back into. You supply a bowl and the water.

Care

Rinse the moulds and let them dry before they go back in the box. Finished elves keep for a few days in a sealed tub of water and shrink once they dry out, so make them for an afternoon rather than to keep. Spilled gel wipes up with a damp cloth if you get to it before it sets.