Ahh, Summer…the days of Popsicles, splashing in the sprinklers and wondrous chalk drawings all over your driveway and sidewalk! Yes, these are glorious times! And lucky you, Summer is on it’s way!

Lucky for me and my family it’s pretty much Summer all year long here on Maui. And one of the things that gets us outside, gets my child’s imagination going and is easily cleaned up, is drawing with chalk. We leave notes for Daddy for when he gets home and shout, through vibrant chalk, to the world, that “Daddy is THE BEST!”

The best part of working with chalk is it can be hosed down at the end of the day (or week) and a new masterpiece can be made. And let me tell you, we found a new way to create BIG masterpieces in our house with the Big Draw Chalk Drawing Machine!

What is the Big Draw Chalk Drawing Machine? A little from their site…

Draw Chalk Drawing Machine
Quite simply, Big Draw is the most innovative sidewalk art product ever made. With easy-to-follow instructions, kids can create enormous chalk drawings on sidewalks and driveways that are over 6 feet tall and look perfect every time. The secret is the Big Draw’s unique set up. Using a simple “recipe card,” children use Big Draw’s corresponding letter and number system to plot points for their drawing, then simply connect the dots and color it in! Kids can draw a giant Tyrannosaurus Rex without being gifted artists, and with many different designs, their Big Draw will be busy all summer long! Ages 7 and up. SRP: $14.99

Ohana Mama’s Take

The age for the Big Draw Chalk Drawing Machine says 7 and up. My son is 4. So this was something that we needed to do together. It got us all out of the house together and working together as a team to make these big cool drawings. The Big Draw Chalk Drawing Machine uses number and letter coordinates to create these masterpieces so while doing this fun outdoor activity, we were reinforcing and teaching my son his numbers and letters. Once my husband made the dots, we had my son create the line for the “connect-the-dots” part. This was great for his hand-eye coordination. After connecting the dots, my son as able to really let his imagination and creativity loose by coloring in the dinosaur he had created with Daddy.

Overall, I love the idea of the Big Draw Chalk Drawing Machine. I love that it made creating BIG drawings easy for us parents and then allowed my son to take over the coloring in. And I love that my son was learning his numbers and letters as we were creating the coordinates.

It did take a few tries for my husband and I (we’re in our 30s and college educated) to get the hang of just how to do this (the pressure was on, we were sweating, as my son was saying “come on mom!”) but after a few tries, we got it down and created a cool drawing for my son. So be patient, read the instructions and all should turn out great!

The Big Draw Chalk Drawing Machine is sure to draw a lot of attention from the neighbors as you create giant butterflies, dinosaurs and fish on your driveways! The Big Draw Chalk Drawing Machine does offer BIG fun for the whole family!!

GIVEAWAY!

THREE MomDot readers will win their very own Big Draw Chalk Drawing Machine! Yes we’re giving away THREE!

How to enter

Head on over to Cadaco, the makers of the Big Draw Chalk Drawing Machine, check out their other cool products and tell us what other one has caught your eye.

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Giveaway Rules:

One winner with a valid entry will be randomly selected on or shortly after Sunday, April 26th, 2009. The “Giveaway Entry” requirement must be completed before extra entries are eligible.