Gel-A-Peel Accessory Craft Kit, Neon, 3pk, Great Gift for Children Ages 6, 7, 8+

This product was fairly easy to use for my 9 1/2 year old with little help. The gel stays together well if all directions are followed. It would be nice if the product included some strips of masking tape that are needed to use the templates. All in all, my daughter enjoyed creating her own pieces of gel jewelry and it kept her busy for a good hour.

I have 3 daughters that were involved in making bracelets with this kit. My 8-year-old took to it easily and had her first bracelet made in about 10 minutes. My 5-year-old needed assistance but still enjoyed the process. I made a bracelet for my 3-year-old. She broke it the first time she tried to take it off by herself. The bracelets take a couple of hours to completely dry...even if they are thin and simple. I had to flip them over so the bottom would dry. Even when the top part was solid, the bottom would be runny until flipped over. It is difficult to make the patterns look like the pictures, but it is easy to make some form of wearable bracelet. The gel will go quickly. The more elaborate the bracelet becomes, the more gel it requires. The box says it will make 60 beginner bracelets, but I know we will not get that many bracelets out of it. You have to put quite a bit of gel on to make sure the bracelet holds together. The bracelets are easily broken. My girls pretended they were snakes when they broke. The feel of the bracelets is very nice. The gel dries smooth and squishy so my girls loved the way they felt. The smell was very strong when I first opened the tubes of gel, but faded to a rather pleasant aroma when the bracelets dried. This is a fun craft where most of the enjoyment will be derived in making the bracelets. The bracelets themselves are not meant to last. The rubber band loom bracelets are much sturdier, but they are also harder to make. This is an easy, fun alternative that can be used with kids not quite ready for more advanced bracelet making.