like adult coloring books? you need to try something new!

I’ll be the first to admit I’m not the most artistic person. But I love being creative and joining in when my kids are coloring or crafting. When my kids are coloring I’ll often color a page as well–in their books or in an adult coloring book. So we were all excited to try something new–Scratch and Create by Quarto.

You know how fun it is to scratch off random coupons or tickets? I always love finding a coin to scratch it off. Scratch and Create is like a whole book of those! But under the metallic coating are super bright colors.  I ordered a set of Wild Garden Scratch and Create postcards as well as the Hand-Lettered Life book.

Wild Garden Scratch and Create is a set of 20 postcards that can be created by scratching off all or some of the metallic coating to reveal colorful designs.  And no need to search for coins for scratching!  Each set comes with its own scratch tool.  I love that we can do these in the car and not worry about “messing up”. Coloring is a bit tricky for that.  One good bump in the road and the picture is a mess. The kids and I tried these out on a long car ride.  (If you’re doing that, I recommend bringing along some Kleenex or napkins to wipe away the excess coating).

Hand-Lettered Life is another scratch and create option that leaves a little more room for creativity.  The first half of the book has predesigned quote pages.  You can scratch off all or some of the coating to reveal as much color as you want.  The last half of the book are blank pages that can be used with the included three styles of alphabet stencils to create your own unique mantras or just to doodle.

I can see using both of these books as fun activities for snow days or long winter days when we need some fun indoor activities and will definitely be bringing them along in the car again.  My five-year-old struggled to get the hang of using the scratch tool but my older kids were able to handle it.  It does require a bit of hand strength and fine motor skills so I would recommend Scratch and Create for ages 10+.  Also, I noticed that Scratch and Create is coming out with an Endangered Animals Scratch and Create!  I can definitely see this stuffing a stocking at our house this Christmas!