Buy Dinosaur Stamp Set

I ordered this stamp set for my 3 year old. I was concerned when I was ordering it that it might not be up to the job of withstanding a 3 year old, due to the low price. When we recieved it, we tore it open to find the box was made of sturdy wood, as well as all the stamps. And yes, the ink really is washable! You just put the stamp under warm water and the ink just rinses away. It comes out of clothing, walls and just about anywhere else toddlers may think to put it. And the rubber stampers that are attached to the wooden blocks are very clear when stamped. There are no broken lines or unwanted blotches. I recently went to a local craft store looking for more stamps and found the prices to be overly rediculous. This kit is definately worth more than I paid. My son asks to play "dino stamps" all the time, and I don't mind pulling it out for him, because it really is washable. The colored pencils are wonderful, as the ink dries fairly quickly, so you can use them to color in the stamped outline. I most definately recommend this to anyone!

Most of the art supplies I have bought in the past were Crayola, so I'm used to the claim of washability being true. Not so with the Melissa & Doug stamp sets. I broke out a few of the sets as a rainy day surprise this morning for my kids. Because of the claim of washability, I didn't bother to set out a cover on their play table. When the kids were finished playing, their little hands and the table were covered in ink. No biggie. I helped them put their stamps away and then grabbed some wipes to clean their table. That knocked some of it out but not all. Even with a kitchen cleaning spray and then (UGH) bleach water, I could not get all the color off the table. The final straw was when my kids got out of the bathtub this morning (rainy day activity #2, playing sea monsters in the tub) and were still covered in the ink. Obviously, I'm not happy. The stamps are OK (we did get too many square edges included in the image for my taste but my kids didn't care).

I just wanted to warn parents to cover the work space if they decide to purchase this item. I'll do the same until this product runs out and then I'll look for some washable ink that really is washable. The kids did enjoy it so I do think it's a good gift idea. The same could be accomplished by purchasing some individual stamps/ink pads/colored pencils and assembling in a basket yourself. The price on this item is right though. Just beware the stains!
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