it's different for boys...

[susie_flo]

Shopping-related ramble...  why are arty/creative kits for children almost always marketed for girls?  Is there no market for things that are both boyish and creative?  Why can't they be unisex?   I'm donating two prizes for the kids' poster competition and wanted to buy something that would make arty kids happy...  (I say this because I once won a children's art competition where the prize was an "action adventure holiday" that turned out to be 2 weeks of sport and other general nastiness!!**)   Anyway in this case at least one of the winners is a boy...   so I trotted out at lunchtime to brave the toy department of Horrible Harrods (ew, it gets tackier every year).  The problem is, once you get past the toddler/Crayola age group, virtually EVERY art or craft set comes in a pink box with pictures of girls on it.  Tsk.   All I wanted was some nice sets of unisex art materials pitched at the right age groups.   Back at my desk, I wondered why I ever doubted Uncle Amazon...  the reliable provider of good things.

Square-eyed ramble...  I finally watched 'In Bruges' - it's totally fab, and now I want to go to Bruges!   (Also was pleased to note that this week's Sarah Connor Chronicles is back on track - we've lost the family therapy sessions and evil Cromarty is back!)

** I should concede that I do have one good memory of that holiday - I learned rifle shooting, which totally rocked!

Comments

Prizes

[whiteshadow.livejournal.com]

Not too sure what type of budget / age range you are having to cater for but last year I got this set from Smiths for my friends son.

I think that they do a range of different prizes / type of art sets which are all pretty much unisex.

I would like to go to Bruges as well .... but on the Eurostar as it now runs there. I went to Paris earlier this year on it and it's a great way to travel

Re: Prizes

[the-meanest-cat.livejournal.com]

WHSmith are brilliant! That kit was exactly the sort of thing I was after, but sadly I am not near enough to a Smiths to bomb it out at lunchtime. (Still, I did eventually manage to find some quite nice Reeves sets on Amazon.)

Eurostar to Bruges..., (dreamy sigh) I wish I was on my way right now!

[kissmeforlonger.livejournal.com]

You learned rifle shooting? Blimey :-)

[the-meanest-cat.livejournal.com]

I did, and loved it! You should give it a try. I was actually quite a reasonable shot, though rifles make it easy cos you have lots of time to lign up before you snipe.

I did some clay pigeon shooting years later with Simon and managed to hit a few, once I got used to the moving targets. But I was not so keen on the kick-back from a shotgun... you get a mighty bruised shoulder. (Thankfully the Xbox doesn't give me any such trouble) :-p

I am a pacifist, honest...

[kissmeforlonger.livejournal.com]

A friend is doing clay pigeon shooting for her hen do - am all excited about it (assuming I'm invited of course!). So we can compare notes.

[the-meanest-cat.livejournal.com]

I generally dread being invted to hen dos, but that one sounds fab! You will love it, I'm sure..... guilt-free usage of big guns, what's not to like? :-D

[moral-vacuum.livejournal.com]

now I want to go to Bruges!

To swear lots and kill people?

[the-meanest-cat.livejournal.com]

Fucking Bruges!

two manky hookers and a racist dwarf...

[r0ck3tsci3ntist.livejournal.com]

Art supplies make good unisex prizes. But yeah, I remember being frustrated trying to find craft projects for my son that weren't embellished with pink hearts. Just get the inexpensive adult one for the boy because there isn't anything else. With the lack of interest in boy tailored craft supplies one wonders how men end up dominating the art world. @_@

[the-meanest-cat.livejournal.com]

Yeah I wondered the same thing! (As you suggested, I went for an inexpensive adult watercolour set for the older prize!)