Growing up as an only child I spent countless hours in my room alone and one of my favorite things I enjoyed doing at my desk was play with my Spirograph set.  All the geometric patterns and loopy circles of random colors spilled over the edge of my bed and onto the floor almost every single Saturday afternoon.  I honestly never got bored with it because it was ever changing, they were never the same. 

My two oldest children never experienced the fun of Spirograph, but my youngest has played with a tiny version for a few years now.  Recently I found the Spirograph Deluxe Set and let me tell you I am the last one to leave the table when we get this out.  This deluxe kit comes in a sturdy, Velcro latched carrying case that stores everything in the kit nicely.  And it even has a built-in work space with raised sides that helps you keep all your supplies from sliding away from you.  This kit comes with twenty sheets of design paper with a nice thick border around it and fifteen wheels, four shaped wheels, two rings and a rack to give you unlimited designs.  You also get three high quality design pens in blue, green and red along with a 14-page design guide book.  Something I was not expecting, but don’t know what I did without it before, was the neat reusable spiro-putty.  This putty holds the pieces in place, so they don’t move while you are creating and therefore you have a precise piece of spiro art, without stray lines and uneven loops that happen from a slipped hand. 

We used this like crazy over the Christmas break.  Kaden has successfully taken it to a few end-of- the year doctor’s appointments, on a long car trip and has even went out on the trampoline under a sheet fort he built and has made almost a whole notebook of art.  What this tells me is that hands down Spirograph mania will never die and the fact that he still has all the pieces means the case his pretty durable and reliable on the go.  He loves using the built-in drawing area and the putty, which is why even on the trampoline or moving car he can still use this deluxe kit with success.  Taking the pieces in and out is easy to do and the pen’s ink is vibrant and dries fast. 

Overall the Spirograph Deluxe Set is fantastic and gives you hours of countless design making.  The kit is geared for children 8 and up and that’s about right.  You do need to have pretty good motor skills.  Kaden is 11 and his motor skills are a work in progress, but he did just fine… especially with the putty.  Without the putty he tends to have a hard time using the rack and larger designs.  I would say this is a perfect gift for sensory seekers because of the soft whizzing sound it makes with the prongs and the vibrations.  Not to mention the visual surprise that awaits once you remove the wheel.  This is also a great addition for homeschoolers to keep hands busy during reading time, quiet time or an addition to art class.  And it’s perfect for that dinner time crunch when the kids want something to do and I’m half way through making dinner.  As you can see this kit would be great in the hands of anyone, young or old that has a little creative spark that needs to be ignited.

-Product review by Sheila Quach, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, January 2019