Hello craft lovers, if you've been looking for a cool new project to work on with the kids in your life, I have a review of Super Beads from Zirrly to share with you. We received the Super Beads Bird Set this month, and my daughters were happy to get their little hands on them. I'm sure that you're wondering what a super bead is, so let me begin there. They are teeny little, well, beads. They are used with plastic trays that have pegs on them to create an assortment of cute animals, vehicles, and whatever else you might imagine. Not only can you create fun characters, these creations are designed to be fused together with water, making it a safe project to complete with kids. The recommended age range is 5 years and up.
Our Super Beads Birds set came with the following:
2 Plastic Design Boards
3 Colored Paper Templates to complete a Duck, Owl, and Parrot
Super Beads
Small Spray Bottle
1 Design Tool
Plastic Work Tray - This was the tray that all materials were packed in
Instructions
Now for the fun part- crafting! After a brief squabble over who would create which bird, my girls went to work. The colored paper templates have little tabs that allow them to be placed under the design boards. This provides an easy to follow guide, which would be especially helpful for younger kids. These beads will provide plenty of practice for fine motor skills. They fit on the pegged design boards a bit snugly, so press them on firmly. The nice thing about that secure grip, is that the beads are not as easily knocked off of the board if they are slightly bumped (which is always frustrating). A cute feature of this kit is that you'll also make "feet" on the design board that are separate from the main character. These will connect to those main feet, allowing your project to stand on its own for an easy display.
Once the design is complete, it's time to fuse! This is where the little spray bottle makes its entrance. Fill it with water (obviously, right?), and then, holding the bottle about an inch or two over the beads, spray evenly, being sure to cover the entire project. This step does require some finesse. Too little water, and the project will not adequately fuse, while too much water will leave you with beads that turn to mush. As this was our first time working with the Zirrly Super Beads , we were conservative with the water at first. This resulted in a project that didn't quite fuse enough. Spraying again, and generously, we achieved the perfect fuse.
Drying time, this is important as well. The instructions stated that this step might take as long as 60 minutes. The project should be dry to the touch before you attempt to remove it from its design board. We found that our beads required a longer drying time. The boards have holes in them, so after several hours, we flipped them over to get some more air flow to the project. Then we let them sit overnight. That was a good decision, because they were perfectly dry, and came off the board without breaking.
Removing your project from the design board takes a bit of gentle elbow grease. As I mentioned before, these beads have a firm grip to begin with, and once fused, that grip is even stronger. You can use the tool that comes with the kit, or simply peel it off slowly. Then, attach the separate pieces that fit onto the feet of the character, and display for all to admire!
After getting familiar with the way Super Beads work, our consensus was - Two Thumbs Up! Zirrly has won over this family, including my 13 year old who will freely tell you that she's not really into crafting. With this project, she's a big fan. She's already asking to purchase other kits, and I'm happy to oblige.
We all like the flexible surface of the completed product. They bend a bit, but are not too fragile to handle. Even if they do have a break, a spray of water will re-fuse them. My daughters are older, so they didn't require assistance in finishing this project. Kids on the younger side of the recommended age may need a little help with a couple of the steps. As for me, I'm thinking ahead to summer, VBS, and other environments where I can possibly use these beads with kids that I'll be interacting with. Interested? See the links below, and learn more about Zirrly !
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YouTube
Read other Crew reviews about Zirrly Super Beads sets by clicking the image below.
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