Has anyone ever tried painting balsa wood?

[Kute Kitty]

I was in Hobbycraft earlier today and saw some lovely little moneyboxes for very reasonable prices, so bought one (with a frog on the front, very lovely) for my nephew, I'll probably put a bit of money in and send it to him for his birthday. The thing is, it's made of unpainted balsa wood, so I was thinking of sending him some paints with it so he can paint it as he likes (he's 5 and takes after his artistic mother) but I don't know what kind of paint would be suitable, I suspect water-based paints would just be absorbed right into it. Does anyone have any ideas what kind of paint would be suitable?

[Serinde]

Sorry, didn't see this until just now.

There's lots of information online about prepping and painting balsa wood, but what's clear is that it might not be suitable for a 5-yr-old to do the painting. It'll need to be sanded, I guess, and the recommendation is enamel paint. Anyway, do go online and have a look. It's a lovely notion, though. boys and frogs=much in common.

[MEDIEVAL]

for kids to do, brush a coat of PVA glue, let dry then, any paint of choice, but acrylic will crack, id use emamel....(but not for kids really,)

[Kute Kitty]

It's still very cute just as it is as plain wood so I think I'll just send it as it is, maybe with a bit of cash in it Thank you for the advice