Product Review: See My Cape! – Gift Pack (Recommended for Ages 4-8)
When you Feel Good, you Want to Do Good!
I am not aware of any child who hasn’t imagined they had super powers usually complete with a super hero cape. Heck, I still want a super hero cape! But we all know from stories that characters that have super powers can either use their powers for good or evil. Creator Kelly’s vision for her designs is to help families create positive change by using our potential through power-infused wear and gear. I fully support her mission in having parents do more with their kids than for their kids and her gift pack product called See My Cape! offers a whole lot more than the usual super hero gear.
The Grace Capes See My Cape! Gift pack includes 1 kid’s Power Cape with snap-on cuffs (your choice of 7 colors), the illustrated story book called Seeding Imaginations, a narrative CD for the book and 1 positive behavior chart booklet. This gift pack is not just a cool super hero cape product (although that is part of the draw, I admit!), it is an entire system to help encourage and inspire your child to create and complete goals in a positive way. The Seeding Imaginations story book is about a boy who receives a magic cape from his aunt that helps him discover his personal potential through the power of positive thinking and good behavior. It is a very sweet read and talks about the importance of tracking your good behavior (and it nicely shows you how to track it through coloring chart squares) which goes perfectly with the included chart booklet. The narrative CD is fun to follow along with the book and includes two bonus tracks of great songs by Kelly’s son, Marc-Andre. The good behavior chart booklet has a place for your child to draw a picture of themselves with their cape and includes 25 weeks of color charting fun for individualized rewards. The booklet is covered with positive quotes such as the Vincent Van Gogh gem, ‘Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together’. Brilliant!
Now, I have to tell you about Kelly’s incredible cape! The cape fabric is made from lycra polyester so that it is super stretchy with flashy foil fabric and contracting wrist cuffs that are washable and slips over any head size. It is the small details that make this cape so special and magical. The inside of the cape has a beautiful emblem with the words, ‘All Serious Daring Starts From Within’ and the detachable cape wrist cuffs have really lovely star designs that look fitting for a super hero. You can customize your cape in 1 of 7 different colors of Black Bat, Green Lantern, Super Red, Silver Bullet, Pink Princess, Gold Glow or Blue Spider. It is nice to know that there are little super heroes out there that are using their powers for good and positive change in our world. Well done, Kelly!
Q&A with Creator of Grace Capes, Kelly Grace
The Seeding Imaginations book is based on a true story. Could you share that story with my readers?
The story begins at my sister’s wedding. My first son was 5 yrs. old at that time and received a thank you gift from his Aunt for standing as her ring boy in the wedding ceremony. His gift was a child’s play cape. My son felt empowered by the cape. Wearing the cape was significant to my son because his family was acknowledging him for a job well done.
As his mother, I realized the power of our family bonds combined with acknowledging a job well done had helped my son develop more self confidence. After the wedding I drew a hand sketched behaviour chart to go with his new cape. On the chart we keep track of other achievements my son was making at the time. The cape and chart combo seemed like a magical tool to both of us. The happy ending peeks at the young boy who grew up to be a happy teenager enjoying life with the confidence of a rock star! It was my budding Rock Star who made the recording for the book Seeding Imaginations in his bedroom!
The epilogue explains I have 2 sons and one daughter each with a very different personality. Each child had their own ‘magic cape’ and ‘chart’. It kept everyone from parents and kids to grandparents and babysitters on the same page with each child’s development being noticed in a fun and individual way! Years later the charts become a priceless reminder of their childhood.
Your cape designs are very unique. What are some of the design features in your capes that make them unique to other similar products in the market?
Grace Capes are made by quality North American crafts men and women. My back ground as a designer in Montreal allows me to access highly skilled labour in and excellent fabrics and finishing materials that is not the norm for children’s costumes. Also I understand a strong design is not just about how something looks but more about how something works. The “See My Cape ” for example is easy for a young child (3+) to pull off and on and the snap on cuffs keep it from twisting around so that children do not trip on it . Of course the flashy foil fabric looks fabulous! The “custom kids capes” (5+), for girls and boys, has a leather button on the front that is great for hand eye coordination. It also guarantees a custom fit because the button twists as the child grows and moves. These customizable cape combinations are endless, so you can combine a favourite colour and theme to get a unique look for your unique crusader that you won’t find elsewhere. Add your child’s name and voila — spelled properly and in a colour combination that suits individual tastes!
I love your positive behavior charts and think they tie in nicely with the magic of the capes and your Seeding Imaginations book. How have these charts made a difference in your family’s lives and what types of rewards work well with your children?
Behaviour charts are a proven teaching method and widely used in daycares and schools. The difference these charts made for my family was that it prepared my children to understand actions and consequences early on in a positive way. When they were again exposed to charts in daycare and school my children adapted easily because it was a natural extension to how they learned at home. At home we give our children more time and warmth and to me this made all the difference in how the children related to their chart initially. As for rewards each child is motivated by something different. My first son loved to hear stories read to him or to have a friend over to play at our house. My second son loved to save his own money so he could go to the toy store and buy his toys himself! My daughter well let’s just say that little miss has one heck of a sweet tooth! I always tried to make the rewards fall into our every day routines. For example, Meal Time may have had my first son invite a friend to eat with us , my middle son was making his cash setting the table each night and our little miss made sure we had dessert at least a couple times each week!
About Kelly Grace: Canadian (yes, my American friends, ‘behaviour’ and ‘labour’ are spelled correctly in her above quotes!) Kelly Grace is a designer and manufacturer with 20 years in the textiles and fashion industry. Kelly had the foresight to register her company in 1989 as a University of Western Ontario student where she was designing brag wear clothing for students. Fast forward years later, the now mom of three created inspiring charts for her children and sewed up some fantastic cape creations for her children to the amazement of her kids and friends and –viola!-Grace Capes was born! Check out Kelly’s cape designs and her books and behavior charts through her website. For a personalized cape option, check out Kelly’s Basic Kids Capes where you can add a badge and your child’s name and they are available in 10 different colors. Fun!
Discounts Available for a Limited Time! Right now through Kelly’s website, all capes that are combined with the purchase of the Seeding Imaginations book will get a $5 discount at checkout.
Bonus! Check out Kelly’s Parent Tips for an Effective Behavior Chart.
‘In the whole wide world…..there’s no one more super than you!’
See My Cape! – Gift Pack (Recommended for Ages 4-8)
List Price: $ 33.93 (Canadian)
Momma's Bacon 