Sweet Dreams DIY Kit product reviews

With the summer school holidays approaching quickly, I was running out of fun activities for my daughter to do to stay entertained. While browsing the KIWIreviews page I noticed a number of DIY kits for children available to review, once I noticed the 'Sweet Dreams' DIY kit, I knew right away that it would be perfect for my girl. I put my request in and crossed my fingers, thankfully there was one of these kits included with my review goodies, my daughter was jumping for joy.

The kit has a box which has some of the items needed, including pink epsom salt, shea butter, mica powder, fragrance, wax pastilles, a star mold, sleep mask and stickers, and a dream journal. There is a 36 page instructional book which includes the instructions to create some wonderful projects, but also gives ideas on how to make a stress-free bedroom, yoga and meditation, and even some hairstyles to try. After having a quick browse we established that my daughter could do most of the tasks in the book, with the exception of a couple which needed a parent because something needed heating.

Firstly my daughter decided that she wanted to decorate the sleep mask, she decided that she wanted to place the stickers on just like they were placed on the mask on the cover of the book, After the decorating had been completed we started to make the 'Sleepytime Lotion Star', the directions recommended to have all the ingredients ready to go, this was because the best results were achieved while the mixture was still warm. It took about 2 minutes in the end for the wax pastilles to melt entirely, after stirring in the light blue shea butter it was then heated again until all melted, we chose to leave the mica powder out of this one. This mixture was then poured into the star mold (parental assistance required,) and then left overnight to solidify. When we checked at lunchtime the next day, the lotion was firm and had a lovely, relaxing aroma.

The next task that was completed was the one my daughter had been most looking forward to doing, this was the 'Zzzen Bath Crystals.' This task was mainly done by my daughter, she enjoyed mixing some of the epsom salt with the violet mica powder, she decided that she preferred the purple to be darker in colour than was shown in the instructions. This was a simple task and the final product smelled amazing, thanks to the vanilla-lavender fragrance I believe. The aroma was soothing, and had the ability to make me feel sleepy. We ended up using the empty shea butter jar to store the crystals in.

My daughter has told me she has started to write in her mini dream journal, but says I am not allowed to read about them as they are secrets. The hairstyle directions were easy to follow, the same with the yoga positions, the only downside to this kit was that we had to find another jar to put the 'Calm Balm' in, also we had to go and purchase some coconut oil for this too.
I recommend this kit for ages 6+ as there are some simple items, but also an adult is needed for the heating up aspect. I believe that this 'Sweet Dreams DIY kit' is aimed more towards girls, with the chosen colours and the glittery aspect. We have tried other Klutz products in the past and been impressed, this kit is no exception, we look forward to purchasing more ingredients to create more crystals and lotion stars (my son has told me he wants to make some in boy colours.)
I look forward to seeing what other kits Klutz will release in the future, as they are fun, educational, creative, and a great way to keep children entertained, without staring at a screen. I believe this would make a wonderful birthday or Christmas present.

Miss Six and her mother have been to a few aromatherapy sessions recently where they have mixed essential oils to produce various sprays and lotions, so she is already interested in this topic. When I told her she was going to review the Sweet Dreams kit with me she was overjoyed, and could not wait to get started. I was busy so I told her she could open it and have a look through the accompanying booklet while she was waiting. Every so often I heard a squeal of delight as she turned another page, prompting her mother to come and have a look over her shoulder.

By the time I was free to oversee her, she had a shortlist of two - the sleep mask and the bath crystals. We decided to go with the bath crystals because she would be able to make the sleep mask without assistance whereas she might need a little help with the crystals. The instructions were quite simple to follow, and she was able to get everything sorted using a couple of empty cottage cheese containers to do the mixing. She ran into one problem - getting a suitable container with lid for the finished product. The cheese containers were far too big, and anyway they did not look particularly fancy for a special relaxing bath time! Finally, her father found a small pot in the kitchen which had a lid and was a pretty colour, so that was perfect. But it would have been useful if an additional pot had been included in the kit. There was one but it had product in it, so to use that pot it would have been necessary to do the activities in a prescribed order.

She did run into one other problem. There was a warning in the instructions about the effects of the blue dye and to take care using it as it might stain. So we were very careful not to spill it on any surfaces and to use only old pots for the mixing. All was well but Miss Six still managed to end up with bright blue hands! She tried to wash it off but to no avail; it was there to stay! Next time she makes it she is going to wear plastic gloves.

There was some time left, so after she had cleaned up and the pot of bath salts had been admired by everyone, Miss Six set out to decorate her sleep mask. The mask itself was supplied ready made as part of the kit, with the decorations being included separately. When it was finished the mask was left to set overnight; she had wanted to wear it to bed but the instructions said it would take overnight for the glue on the decorations to set properly. So she compromised and left it near the bed so she could see it when she woke up.

The kit is beautifully presented and comes highly recommended by Miss Six! There is lots of information about healthy living and pampering yourself, all aimed at a young audience. She was delighted to find a "dream journal" included which she could keep by her bedside so she could jot down her dreams each morning before she forgot them. Clearly she has taken this seriously as she phoned me the day after she received the kit to tell me she had written down her first dream - once in draft and once as a good copy on the opposite page!