Kids Stuff: Arts and crafts

SUMI-E PAINTING ($24) comes with a bamboo brush, watercolors, printing ink, papers and even a chop block to create your own signature, as traditional Asian artists do.

The FLOUR POWER COOKIE KIT ($22.99) includes a kid-size green rolling pin, ingredients, and dragonfly and daisy cutters. The kits also come in eye-catching tins that can be used for lunch or little collections long after the goodies are gone. All the ingredients are organic or all natural.

If you've got a storyteller in your family, consider ERIC CARLE SKETCH-AND-TELL ART PADS ($1.99), with covers featuring "Brown Bear," "Grouchy Ladybug," "Hungry Caterpillar" and others. The covers may inspire budding authors and illustrators to create their own stories; there's space for words and images on all 32 pages. Markers and pencil crayons are also available.

If you don't mind gathering the components yourself, check out "LOOK WHAT YOU CAN MAKE WITH" BOOK SERIES from Boyd's Mills Press (prices range from $5.95 to $16.49). The books give instructions for projects involving cardboard boxes, tubes, plastic, newspapers and other easily scavenged items for a wide range of age groups.