When we think of arts & crafts we probably think of the popular things such as drawing, card making, sewing, embroidery and then there are messy crafts such as pottery and painting. The kids do lots of different arts and crafts activities in our house including drawing, painting, dot art etc. In fact, the youngest is getting very good at drawing using YouTube tutorials. When she was asked to try something a bit different craft wise with the Lite-Brite, creating a picture using light, she was eager to give it a go. Creating a picture without the need for pens, pencils, crayons or paint seemed very appealing and the idea of using light bulbs was quite a novelty.
How do you create a picture with light? With the Lite-Brite Ultimate Classic box it is quite easy. The Lite-Brite is a battery-operated box that uses LED light pegs that can be placed in patterns to create a work of art (well at least a work of art for the kids).
The Lite-Brite Ultimate Classic is a 214-piece set. In the box is:
- 1x Magic Screen
- 206x LED light pegs in various colours
- 6x picture templates (sailboat, mountains, flowers, dune buggy, elephant and unicorn)
- 1x Art Guide
Basically the Lite-Brite is a child’s art board to create light-up pictures. It requires 3x AA batteries to work (not supplied) along with coloured LED light bulbs and a picture template (or good vivid imagination). It is really simple to use; choose a picture template (there are six to choose from), insert the coloured glow pegs (LED lights) and watch them light up.
It comes with six pictures (on black paper) to get you started – a sailboat, mountains, flowers, a dune buggy, an elephant and a unicorn. You place the template on the box, covering all the holes. Each template is made up of coloured letters, showing you where to place each different colour of peg. You make up the picture the placing the coloured pegs into the board on the corresponding coloured letter by pushing them through the paper. Once you have completed the image its time for the magic. You switch on the Lite-Brite box by pressing the power button on the rear of the box and the image will light up in all the different colours, displaying your image in light (it looks really good in a darkened room).
But that is not where the light show ends. By pressing the power again, you can cycle through four different light shows; blinking, pulsing, steady and random. Masterpieces are created in a variety of light shows that will please the creator and they will have lots of enjoyment showing them off.
The pegs are very easy to remove (a simple pull to remove each peg) ready for your next creation.
Overall, the Lite-Brite is a good creative activity. The six templates are all fun designs and will appeal to all and more can be purchased and there are extras to be downloaded for free that you can print at home.
The light from the LED pegs is really bright, showing the created images in excellent colour. Because you are using LEDs there is no heat from the bulbs, making it extremely safe for children to use and handle.
The Lite-Brite Ultimate Classic has gone down really well in our house and our young artist has even created her own images by looking at templates on the internet as well as her own designs. It is a simple to use lightweight drawing screen with easy-to-handle pegs, an interesting and mess free craft activity for children aged 4+ and the only real limit is imagination.
Rating: 5/5
RRP: £21.99
For more information, visit www.basicfun.com. Available to buy from Amazon here.
DISCLOSURE: All thoughts and opinions are our own. This review uses an affiliate link which we may receive a small commission from if you purchase through the link.
