Mommy & Baby Pom Pals Owl Kit {Holiday Gift Idea}

By Pamela Chan, Contributor

Owl motifs in toys and fabric have been all-the-rage in the last few years. At our home, we’ve definitely fallen in love with owls. So when we saw the Mommy and Baby Pom Pals Owl Kit, we knew we wanted to try it out. The kit includes material to make a pom-pom owl pillow puff and a matching plush baby owl. No glue is required to make the owls and the project is listed for children ages 5 and older.

What You Get

The kit includes:

• 1 pom-pom
• 14 felt stickers
• 1 plush fabric ball (for the small owl)
• 2 large wiggle eyes with adhesive backing
• 2 small wiggle eyes with adhesive backing
• 1 instruction sheet

You can also find additional colouring sheets on the PomTreeKids website.

Assembly

My five year old daughter and I made the small owl together. We decided to start with the small one – as a dry run – before trying the bigger one.

The instruction page that comes with the material explains what to do for the baby owl and momma owl. When you peel the protective covering off of the back of the felt pieces, you need to make a sharp break between the adhesive sheet that is stuck on the felt and the wax paper that is being pulled off. If you insert your nail in the wrong spot, you could end up pulling the sticky surface with the wax paper. If your child is younger (5 for example) you might want to stay close by to help make sure this doesn’t happen. If it does, it can be fixed easily. Pull the sticky surface off of the wax paper and apply it to the felt.

When the wings go together, you have to make sure that the tips of the wings are aligned before you press. It is possible to pull the pieces apart and reposition them if you don’t like how they have aligned.

Making the Momma Owl

When we were ready to do the momma owl, my five year old son wanted to join in on the fun. The construction of the larger owl is similar to that of the baby owl. If a younger child is working with the material, an adult can point out how to attach the wings or center the eyes. The simple method for putting these projects together allows for the child to take charge without too much help from an adult. An older child wouldn’t need any assistance.

The finished project took 20 minutes to complete. A methodical, younger child might take a little bit longer. An older child might be finished sooner. Both of my children were impressed with the results. Immediately after the project was finished, my daughter started to tell stories about the owls and play with them. She decided to adopt the baby owl temporarily before giving it to her cousin at Christmas time. We will also be giving the larger owl to my 12 year old niece as well as she loves owls and we think the larger owl will look fabulous on her bed. This project is something that a child could complete and keep; however, it is also a great project for a child who wants to make a present for someone else.

After finishing the owls, I noticed that my daughter was interacting with her art material differently. She was talking about “first this, then that”. She sounded like an arts and crafts teacher. The easy-to-follow, step-by-step design of this project inspired her to think about how creative projects go together. I can see that an older child might be inspired to create their own pom-pom and felt animals from scratch after trying this project. Or they might want to get other PomTreeKids projects as they feature appealing designs and material.

All PomTreeKids kits can be purchased at Toys R Us Canada stores.

Disclosure: I received a sample of a product to facilitate my review. No other compensation was provided and all views and opinions stated on this post are 100% my own.