Creative Gift Idea: smART Pixelator

I love gifts that are also activities, because they keep kids occupied, help them focus and give them a goal to work toward. The folks at Flycatcher sent me and the girl a smART Pixelator to try out, and I think it would be a great gift for creative kids, crafty kids and those who love technology.

At a glance this is a peg board with melty beads, but the Pixelator is an electronic device you plug in. Insert the included memory card pre-loaded with designs, add the pegboard to the top and fill in beads using the enclosed tool.

You can also use the device’s app to take pictures of anything and have them be turned into pixelated designs you can re-create in pegs.

My daughter tried out a couple of the simple designs included on the device, then we tried taking a picture of an anime-style character she drew. We had to simplify it a bit in the app and then she changed some of the colors so as not to run out of beads (it actually ended up bigger than we intended, but that was probably my fault).

It was fun and easy to use and the resulting designs were cute. The girl said it was easier to add the beads in by hand rather than with the little tool that’s included; try both ways to see what you like.

When working on a long project the device can time out and turn itself off. Sometimes this made the device reset and we had to download our pattern again or scroll through all the different patterns on the memory card to find the one we were working on again.

This would be great for a creative kid who likes to make their own magnets, charms, decorations for cards or whatever else you might use melty bead projects for (it should be noted these are different from Perler beads and are not interchangeable; they sell their own brand of beads available in many colors). It might also encourage kids who aren’t that crafty because the screen showing the pattern makes it easier to complete than using a printed out pattern.

If you’re looking for a creative, fun gift for a kiddo in your life (package rates it ages 7 and up), check out the smART Pixelator.

Next Plan Idea:

Perler Bead Projects for Kids

The celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe is important throughout Mexico and other parts of the world. Her feast day is Dec. 12, and the celebrations honoring her appearance to Juan Diego in 1531 begin a few days before that.

Whether you celebrate yourself or just want to share about the celebration at home or in your classroom, Las Mañanitas: The Beautiful Celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe is a good place to start. The book, by Ernesto Joel Vega Rosales and Jeanette Gonzalez Seneviratne, with illustrations by Dana Sanmar, tells the story of a family’s celebration of the feast day in both English and Spanish.

They prepare with a novena, which is nine days of prayers and preparations. The children, Lucia and Pablo, are given special outfits made by their grandmother that look like what Juan Diego might have worn when he saw Our Lady. The book describes the prayers that are made each day, such as a prayer for respect for life, for families and for the indigenous people of the Americas, to name a few.

As told in the book, Juan Diego was a native Mexican born near modern day Mexico City. His given name was Cuaauhtlatoatzin, which means “He who speaks like an eagle.” When he converted to Christianity his name was changed to Juan Diego, and as he walked to church he passed a hill called Tepeyac. One day he heard the birds singing especially beautifully and a voice called him to go to the top of the hill.

There he saw Our Lady of Guadalupe, who asked him to tell the bishop she wanted a chapel built in her name at the foot of the hill. The bishop asked for a sign that Juan Diego really saw her, and later she had him collect flowers that she blessed and take them to the bishop. When Juan Diego dropped the flowers, an image of Our Lady could be seen on his cloak, which is still on display in her basilica to this day.

The feast day is celebrated as mañanitas, which includes singing, indigenous music and dancing, and children presenting flowers to Our Lady. Juan Diego is remembered today as being humble, brave and faithful, and was the first indigenous American made a saint.

The book is colorful and tells the story in a clear way, and it’s fun to have it both in English and Spanish if you teach Spanish or speak Spanish at home or in the classroom. It’s a great way to learn the basics of the celebration and the story of Juan Diego and why he is still remembered today.

About the book: 40 pages, paperback, published 2024 by Loyola Press. Suggested retail price $14.99.

Next Plan Idea:

Have you read?

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