Pack-O-Fun Magazine

Pack-O-Fun is a bimonthly craft magazine aimed at elementary age kids. It prides itself on use of recycled materials that would otherwise be thrown away and on requiring everyday household items rather than a slew of exotic craft supplies. That's great, or it would be if it were true.

Their recycled items are things like plastic gallon jugs of orange juice, halfsize cans of pringles, 35mm film cannisters, single pudding cups, and other items in odd sizes or usually sold in larger-than-needed quantities. They're also not items everyone will automatically have and also items where different brands could have vastly different shapes, some of which might not work for the project. For instance, one project calls for a recycled tissue box. The project picture and instructions make it clear that what they want is one of those boxes with a rectangular opening filled with plastic. Most of the tissue boxes on the market aren't suited for the project.

For a magazine intent on recycling, they pay precious little attention to the required purchase quantities and reusability of the various parts needed for each project. Most projects require two or three shades of paint which aren't reused in any other project in the issue, a piece or two of foam or wood or cloth sold only in larger quantities and sizes than you need, and other very specific pieces you're not likely to have in the house, must purchase in large quantity, and are unlikely to ever use again without developing your own project specifically designed to get rid of the excess junk.

Issues with the needed supplies aside, Pack-O-Fun provides 30 or so bright and visually appealing craft projects in each issue. Some are seasonal, some generate needed school and household items with a flair, and some are just cute little things to admire and smile at. They are definitely geared more toward kids than adults, yet they're not generally projects kids can complete without adult supervision. They require glue guns, drills, knives, baking, and other dangerous tools and actions. The instructions are more suited to adults than kids too - they combine multiple steps together and rarely include interim pictures or diagrams. I could follow most of the instructions but some were a bit confusing. I suspect children would have a real difficulty with some of them. The first rule of writing instructions is to present one step at a time. This is even more vital for kids who don't have the level of experience or verbal reasoning abilities of adults.

Another problem is that several of the project involve scent and thus wind up expiring at some point after they're made. Items filled with potpourri are glued shut; decorations are glued directly onto air fresheners. Kids tend to get cranky when you have to throw out their masterpieces. It would have been easy to design these crafts to be refillable instead of disposable but for some reason they didn't.

Some of the projects seem silly but others are fun and interesting. However, because of the expense and annoyance of having to shop for so many items that leave excessive leftovers, I tend to take the ideas I like and adapt them to materials I have at home. I really can't recommend using the magazine in any other way. If you're looking for complete project ideas requiring no additional thought or amendment, look elsewhere. If you're just looking for basic craft ideas you can adapt to your own needs, then Pack-O-Fun can be a useful resource.