Children's Animation Kits

Made popular by Aardman Animation’s Wallace and Gromit characters, children’s animation kits use similar techniques to this famous stop motion film company, but on a smaller and easier scale. Popular supplier Flair are even licensed to make a Plasticine set featuring the famous duo with some of their allies and enemies - they come complete with background scenery and plug in pieces like eyes and feet for extra realism. Morph Plasticine sets can be bought in a similar format.

Various simple computer programmes can be used to manipulate and animate the images that can be taken with a digital camera. Even Lego are in on the act with a set that includes Lego bricks and a smart looking Lego stop animation camera for capturing close up shots of the changing scenes. Great Gizmos make a working model of a praxinoscope, one of the earliest animation toys that laid the foundations of the modern stop animation movies, and also teach the some basic optical principles.

Games maker Drumond Park has a wonderful Animatazz set in its offerings that comes complete with poseable figures and a demonstration CD of how to post the movies onto You-Tube. Whatever children’s animation kits you choose, the educational value in teaching the kids patience and perseverance is likely to be of enormous benefit to them in the future.