Explorer Series Pottery Wheel - National Geographic: Kids & Beginners Craft Kit, Includes Tools & Clay, Ages 8+

I was so excited about this! To be able to try a pottery wheel at home with my kids, fun for the whole family! That said it really did fall short. We followed all the directions 3 times and just could not get a decent end project. I am sure it takes more practice however my kids aren't really interested in trying again. I would say in the future by the time a person would actually pay for this, set up, and take down, maybe just go to a local shop and make a fun project. The pro of this was it really is a fun thing to sit down with the family and try. The con is that it seems more difficult than expected to actually have the project not fall apart.

This was originally meant for my kids as something new to do but it actually became something the whole family loves! At first there was a little learning curve but it’s actually pretty easy to use and so much fun for all of us. Even my moody 15 year old enjoys making things! This is definitely an awesome summer activity to keep them entertained

This pottery wheel is a very hands on and messy toy. So if you love crafting and getting dirty with your kids this is for you! I let my 6 and 10 year old do it first and my 10 year old definitely was better able to do it without assistance. They both really had fun but it did not result in most beautiful of pottery. We are very inexperienced at it though so probably with time it will be better. I do not know how much the bar and attachments actually helped. It seemed my 10 year has better luck just using her fingers. This is definitely something you will want to use outdoors or in a very dedicated crafting space. The clay liquid gets everywhere. And make sure to not wash it down the sink. You must have outdoor water access to clean the tools and yourself. I like that it came with the Little Rock’s to add to your project and the paints. Ours did come with a broken paint brush but that’s not a huge deal to me. I also liked that it came with a little apron and quite a bit of clay.

My 9 year old daughter and I used this pottery wheel. We both have some experience with crafts. Overall, this is a great kit, but there is a definite learning curve. My daughter, who has taken a pottery class before, had no trouble using the wheel and successfully making a vase. I, on the other hand, could not get the sides of my bowl even, so after repeated attempts, I gave up. This is no fault of the kit though. I appreciate how this is set up for right or left handers. (My daughter is a leftie, so she tried it set up that way, but ended up preferring the right handed set up). We both had trouble with the centering tool as it kept pushing the clay off the wheel. Maybe we applied more pressure than we thought, or used more water than we thought, but we ended up just not using it. We tried using the opening tool, and when the directions say to move it outward very slowly, in bold italic letters, they mean it. Our projects kept cracking, so we just used our fingers. This was a tad problematic for me as I have fingernails that extend about 1/8" past my fingertips. Once my daughter finished her vase, we let it dry for 2 days. The paint brush and paint are just as you would expect from a kit - nothing fancy but gets the job done. Overall, my daughter had a lot of fun with this project and I will definitely give it another try.

This pottery wheel from National Geographic is an awesome and fun thing to try for kids and adults alike. It's definitely perfect for beginners of all ages. It's easy to set up and get started. I love that it comes with 3 pounds of air dry clay to start with, that way if you don't like it, no loss. It's fun to play with your kids with and to watch them attempt to make super cool things. It's a little messy but that is to be expected. I would definitely recommend this!

There's still a kid in each of us in some ways. Growing up I remember wanting to have a pottery wheel and making my own vases. Art class we manually pinched out our creations but this Nat Geo set is something else. I plan on using it for the first time with my daughter this weekend. I did a trial run putting together the wheel and it's definitely good quality for a children DIY set. There are lots of parts and lots of steps BUT the steps appear to just be extra spelled out to make sure users are clear. The clay was nice and soft. The wheel had a good hum to it but not anything unexpected from what the product is meant to sound like. There are beads and gems and paint to decorate with. The end product is air dried. The wheel seems to carve and pinch into a cup/vase pretty simply - and the great thing is you can always start over if you're not loving the end product.

Very nice NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC Explorer Series Kid?s Complete Pottery Wheel Kit. I’ve got this kit for my 10 year old daughter who loves pottery and craft . She loves it! This set includes everything to make beautiful mugs or bowls or anything. Perfect for the beginners. The pottery wheel Is great quality and easy to work with. Highly recommending for all ages!

The age range of 8+ is appropriate; this does take independence and fine motor skills (and the help of capable adult). It would be nice to have more customization (paint/stain, decorations) but it was a fun project. My 4.5yo worked on this with her 9yo cousin.

My son love art and science, he had so much fun using this pottery wheel explorer kit. He was so excited to work with his hands and to see exactly how everything worked. He worked on his project for a good while, I love how he was so engage and focus. I love how this series comes with so many items to create and work with. It is of high quality and his bowl came out perfect, it is a nice piece of art. I recommend this product

A great intro for absolute beginners. I tried this out with my three kids (11,8,6) and would recommend for older kids (10+). They all needed help (I probably should’ve watched the recommended videos before starting). And make sure you have lots of time and work outdoors - its’s very messy (expected). But, the kit includes everything you need and gives detailed instructions. It’s easy to take apart and clean. We’ll see how they come out when they dry but the kids enjoyed it!

This was a hit with all 3 of my kids. The quality is great and really sturdy. I love that it comes with extra tools and paints so they can create and decorate their own pottery. It uses AC power which is nice. My kids have been loving this and it has been easy for them to use.

I love this kit! I love history, I love pottery and I love art. I know this is for children, but I really enjoy doing this myself and with my children. My kids are all loving the pottery wheel also, so I will need to purchase some more clay. This pottery wheel kit comes with an electric wheel with a centering tool, opening tool, shaping tool, a learning guide, instruction guide, 3 pounds of air-dry clay, 3 sculpting tools, cut off tool, sponge, brush, palette, apron, 6 paints and gemstones. I do like how this merges and sticks in learning while having fun; it definitely makes it more memorable for kids. This is easy to use, easy to clean and a lot of fun for everyone. I definitely recommend!

This kit comes with everything you need to make pottery which is a bonus. However, it takes practice and some trial and error. Set up was easy, however getting the clay to stay on the wheel wasn't the easiest task. The arm seems to be more of a nuisance than helpful. My 10 year old lost interest fairly quickly after his clay pot kept coming off of the wheel, but my 16 year old daughter toughed it out and ended up making a small little pot. With some patience this is a fun little kit, but my kids did not really enjoy it.

My daughter in loves this so much she has had so much fun making things with this!!!! It has definitely kept her entertained!!!!! Overall I say it's a good made good quality set that I would highly recommend to anyone for sure!!!!

My kids were so excited about this! The kit truly came with everything you need other than some water. Three bags of clay, too. We divided one of the clay bricks into 3 to start with. At first it didn’t work well for us - we could NOT get the clay to stick to the spinning wheel so that was frustrating. But after some effort, and honestly using hands more than the attached arm and tools, we got it to work well. It’s not an easy toy, my 8 year old worked hard to make it work. And warning - it’s messy!! But by her second try, my daughter was loving it. What she made is nothing very cool but hopefully she’ll get better at it. The set also came with paint and rocks to decorate the pots and jars. My kids had a lot of fun with it and we will do it again.

My daughter (9) was very excited to try this, so we unpacked it straight away. I was surprised with the amount of supplies that came with the kit. She was able to put things together on her own pretty easily and follow the instructions to get started. Actually making decent pottery is something that will take practice, as the clay tends not stay I'm place and slip around the wheel. Other than that, and the noise of the motor the setup works pretty well.

This is so fun to use and can be used for hours at a time and you will still enjoy doing it. It is nice that kids can make something on their own. They learn to appreciate making things and take pride in their craftmanship. This is a great experience for kids.

My 9 year old daughter wanted this and the reviews seemed good so I ordered it. The clay does not stay on the wheel. The arms are so difficult for a kid to use. I thought this would be a good toy to learn on but the motor is so slow that she got frustrated with it. She was used to the professional one in art class and this wasn't to a 9 year old's standards.

My daughters had so much fun playing with this pottery kit. It was easy to setup and they took turns playing with the wheel. They made a cute little bowl. It was a bit messy but they didn’t seem to be bothered by it. This is a perfect kit for children that love working with their hands and creating things.

My daughter and I enjoyed our first attempt at using a pottery wheel. There is definitely a learning curve and no way she could do it on her own ( 9 years old). We read through the booklet together and I emphasized "patience" it was certainly needed. We started with half of a pouch to be sure we had enough without being overwhelmed. It was a bit tricky to get it to stick to the wheel itself, so when we turned it on the arm tool just pushed it right off the wheel several times. Once we really pushed down on it we were able to actually shape it into some resembling a bowl. The directions were very clear, assembly was no trouble at all. Sadly our first creation had a crack when it dried but my optimistic daughter plans to paint it so the crack won't be noticeable at all.