In the future, when imagination dies, scientists will point to the Crayola Trace & Draw as a watershed moment. “Kids weren’t drawing, after this thing,” they’ll say. “Art died. They just traced.”

The Trace & Draw is a shatterproof case that goes around your iPad two and, coupled with a free app, allows you to slap a sheet of paper over your iPad and let the wee ones trace images and animations. It includes a marker and “50 sheets of pre-sized tracing paper” which suggests that this might be a sort of razors and blades sort of situation, which makes it even more confounding.

They cost $39.99 each (the same price as the similar iGuy case for kids) and, if nothing else, makes a good, strong case for giving junior the reins.

You can pick one up here or wait until they end up in Odd Lots in four months.