Space Age Kids' Scratch Art Kit with Wooden Stick

This scratch art kit sends children on a trip through space, one careful line at a time. Each black card sheet keeps its colour hidden beneath the surface until the wooden stick draws across it, and then bright lines of red, yellow, green and white come through the dark. The space scenes to make are full of retro charm: rockets streaking upward with fins and portholes, an astronaut floating free on a long tether, a satellite, ringed planets and bursts of stars. The kit holds four sheets, a slim booklet of example pictures to work from, and the stick itself, and measures about 20cm long and 15cm wide.

It is a calm, absorbing kind of play that suits a kitchen table on a rainy afternoon, a bedroom desk or a quiet spell after school. There is no paint to spill and no pens to lose their lids, just the sheets and the stick, so setting up takes moments and tidying away takes even less. At 61g the whole kit is light and flat enough to slip into a bag for a long car journey or a visit to family. We think children who love rockets and stars will find plenty to get lost in, and the finished pictures look bright pinned to a bedroom wall.

The sheets are card, the booklet is paper and the scratch stick is wood, with a pointed end for fine lines and a little more pressure giving broader strokes. Work on a flat surface, brush away any loose specks with a soft dry cloth as you go, and keep unused sheets flat and dry so their surface stays smooth. A finished rocket looks smart in a simple frame or propped on a shelf. Wrapped with a ribbon, this kit makes a cheerful present that keeps young hands busy for a good while.

What comes in this scratch art kit?

You get four black scratch sheets, a slim booklet of example pictures to work from and a wooden scratch stick, so everything needed to start is in the kit.

How does scratch art work?

Each card sheet has a black surface with colour hidden beneath it. Draw the wooden stick across it and bright lines come through, so the picture builds as you go.

What space designs can children make?

The scenes are full of retro space fun: rockets with fins and portholes, an astronaut floating on a tether, a satellite, ringed planets and bursts of stars.

How big is the kit?

It measures about 20cm long and 15cm wide and weighs just 61g, so it is light and flat enough to tuck into a bag for journeys.

How should I look after the sheets and stick?

Work on a flat surface, brush away loose specks with a soft dry cloth, and keep unused sheets flat and dry so their surface stays smooth for scratching.