Mynyel Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 I saw these on the homeschool buyers co-op and am very intrigued. Are they worth it? Are the reusable? Do you like them? I am thinking Christmas here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 (edited) We used them in preschool--they were hard for a 3-4yo to manage, but the dads loved them for some reason! I don't find them all that interesting--good for a little while. They are kinda hard to straighten back out and reuse, as some kids just get frustrated and lump them all together. You are basically drawing with a heavily waxed string. Whether or not that works for you is really very individual. ETA--or sculpting--but a figure that gets lint, hair, etc stuck to it easily, like kokotg said...LOL Edited November 7, 2011 by Chris in VA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kokotg Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 We used to get a bunch of them because they gave them out with the kids' meals at Zaxby's. They would wind up all over the house, with dog hair stuck to them, and eventually get thrown away. So I'm not a fan, personally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 My ds has always used them extensively w/ his Lego minifigures. The Wikki Stix make great rappeling ropes (as well as many other uses) for Lego men, lol! That's really the only way we've used them. So, a small-ish pack worked well for us; it was plenty for ds to use w/ his minifigures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alessandra Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 I saw these on the homeschool buyers co-op and am very intrigued. Are they worth it? YES Are the reusable? YES, they can be removed and straightened out. Do you like them? YES I am thinking Christmas here. We loved these when dc were young (preschool - K/1st). I used them to make letters on file cards -- dc could trace the letters with their fingers. If I remember correctly, we had some wikki stix books -- dc followed a pattern to make Wikki pictures. But they were great for just playing around. I was first introduced to them by an occupational therapist as a help for developing fine motor skills. As a parent, I loved them because they were neat -- no mess, no spills, no needing to be sharpened, no writing on walls or clothing, easily transported. Not the cheapest thing around, but totally worth it, IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BMW Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 Many years ago we used them for 3d diorama scenes to correspond with what we were studying. They worked way better than pipe cleaners and were less of a hassle/difficulty/mess than clay or play doh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myfatherslily Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 We have Bendaroos, which are essentially the same. They kids think they're great. Great to wad in balls and leave laying around the house. Great to wrap around toys, so that the toys end up covered in wax. Great to make awesome, creative shapes :) I never did cards or other directed activities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie4b Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 I would say yes for preschool or kids who need to develop fine motor skills. We got them from an occupational therapist when ds was getting OT. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penelope Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 We had a bunch of them, and they didn't get played with much. Ended up with fuzz and dust all over them, rolled into little balls. I probably wouldn't buy them again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LidiyaDawn Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 They would wind up all over the house, with dog hair stuck to them, and eventually get thrown away. Yep, except it was cat hair. Get some pipe cleaners, lots of colours… much more fun to play with and they don't turn into little fuzz collectors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK_Mom4 Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 Apparently puppies find the taste/texture of these irresistable. I got tired of rescuing the stix and tossed them all. Pipe cleaners must not taste as good as the pups just walk by those.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProudGrandma Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 I bought a set of these and a cheap dry erase board and my kids used to make pctures using the wikki sticks. They were great for long car trips...no spills, no mess. They didn't have long term appeal, but they were good for the short term. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristusG Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 I dislike them. My kids don't play with them much and they end up everywhere, with fuzz/hair on them. Plus, if you leave them in the car on a hot FL day, the *DO* melt and leave icky films on surfaces. :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pink Fairy Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 I wanted the kids to love them, but they didn't. At all. I ended up throwing them away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cloversandlions Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 My dd went through a period where she loved these - she was about 5yo, and has always liked tactile things like these, or more recently (and more enduring) play-doh and then clay (like the Laguna Clay our local Art Studio in their pottery classes). DD's Wikki-Stix phase occurred when she was about 5yo, and she did make some very elaborate items with them - scenes on paper, and even an entire little village of fantastical creatures and their homes and habitat. I bought her the Big Box from Amazon after she had used up all of her friend's Bendaroos. The Big Box has over 450 Wikki Stix in 13 colors, and according to Amazon, in December 2009, they were a couple dollars less than they are right now. I'd have paid the current $22 also; my then 5yo dd and her 8yo sister, and her sister's 9yo friend, all had fun with these for several months (6? 8? longer?), although I admit that, by the time it happened, I was glad when we passed that phase. We have a few - only a very few - remaining from that box. They definitely collect hair, and as someone mentioned above, they leave a waxy residue on anything they've been wrapped around (we have a lot of those little Schleich animals - argh! with the waxy coating on those!), but it seems to have been survivable after all. :D Now, the Schleich animal phase? That's still going strong. We must have several hundred of those and the little Toob animals; they are used daily. Those previously encased in Wikki Stix don't seem to be worse for the wear. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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