Product Review

Last year for a full month before her birthday, Aislinn told us every day that she wanted a slip and slide for her birthday. This year, Aislinn told me she wanted markers and paper for her birthday. We don't need markers and paper, so I was on my own to come up with a memorable birthday present. I decided to get her the newly invented sidewalk paint since I am overly susceptible to flashy advertising and since every activity that can be done outdoors is worth a try. Aislinn got the BIG splattering paintbrush for a present, and I got a set with a regular paintbrush and roller as a consolation (literally) prize for the other two.

Here is what we discovered. On the bad side: to make the "Happy Birthday" picture like the one on the box, you would need approximately 5 gallons of sidewalk paint (the kit comes with 12 ounces); the big paintbrush is way more trouble than it's worth; and as an play activity, it is rather expensive (for three kids it probably works out to $5 per paint session).

On the good side: the paint does wash off with the hose or an average rainstorm; the paint washes out of clothes without any problems; the colors are actually very bright; and most importantly, the paint is enough fun to keep the kiddies occupied for up to an hour.

In the end, I would recommend the sidewalk paint, but not the BIG brush. Although the kiddies love splattering the paint, it is hard to load it into the brush (about 3 minutes of loading time for one second of play time) and then if they don't hit it just right on the sidewalk, it doesn't really splatter. No matter what you do, it will not paint continuously the way it is depicted on the box, so save your darlings the frustration. Turn them loose with the paint tray, brush and roller, and you too can have your own pink, yellow, and blue boardwalk.


I'm not really sure what that's about either. Anyway, the paints certainly made them happy.







Note: This is what happens when you use them on antiquated cement sidewalks. If you have a sealed asphalt driveway, you might have better luck with the BIG paintbrush.