These posts will include activities you can do with household items, books we love (that include an outdoor theme usually!), and our very favorite toys and games. We believe that play should foster creativity, imagination and be "open-ended" and so these activities will reflect that. I have contacted some amazing companies and a few have agreed to share their products with us to review and you to win (keep your fingers crossed!!!) Winning things ALWAYS makes a rainy day better!
As always, I welcome ideas from you all and would love to have guest-bloggers to share their ideas (because I ALWAYS need inspiration!)
Without further adieu...
This week I would like to introduce you to Mama K's Aromatic Play Clay. For the past year or so I have seen this clay pop up on different crafty sites I love and be recommended by moms I trust. I was super excited to have Kari agree to send us our very own tube of 5 - 4 oz. tubs to try. They came in 5 different scents: bergamot, geranium, lavender, lemongrass and sweet orange which all claim to "soothe the creative beast." (Chamomile and cardamom are also in the line-up but were not in our tube of 5.)
Other things I love:
- Gluten and Dairy Free
- 100% natural
- Biodegradable
- Handmade in Seattle, WA
Besides all those "stats" - it is just fun to play with! The consistency is more pliable than normal play dough and I love the bright (and more natural) colors. J prefers the orange (sweet orange scent) and the pink (geranium.) And I love that it just smells so great in general (I personally am not a fan of the normal playdough scent.)
The only thing we have come across is that because they are all different scents, we hate to mix them at all. So far that hasn't been an issue, but I could see kids wanting to (and parents NOT wanting them to! :)
A tube of 5 tubs like we have retails for $23.99 but you can also buy them in individual tubs and as party favors. Kari has a bunch of different options here on her etsy shop. You can also find her on facebook.
*I have to say too - this clay isn't just for kids....it's a great stress relaxer.**
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| J showing his brother the clay snake he made |
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| We cleaned up the playdough toys we have and used them with the clay |
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| Daddy often barely gets in the door from work before being asked to play |
Sounds wonderful! I wonder if it's hard to make. The Jackson (Teton County) Library has books with recipes for cook and no-cook play dough. I wonder if I could add essential oils to such recipes. I wonder if it would work to add essential oils to store bought play dough. How much does this scented clay/ play dough cost -- the one you are sampling.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of indoor winter activities, here's a more active activity that my kids and their friends have been loving... an indoor playground.
We just put 6 i-hooks which hold 250 lbs each in a line about 16 inches apart into our living room ceiling (into the studs in the ceiling, found with a stud finder). We then attached two swings and a set of rings (purchased from e-bay) hanging from ropes which hold 350 pounds. We use carabiners to connect the ropes to the i-hooks, so they are easy to move if needed. The carabiners each hold more than 2000 lbs. My twin 34 month-old boys have been loving their indoor playground, spending hours a day swinging and talking and hanging. They swing sitting up, fly through the air on their bellies, sit "horse-riding" style and pretend to be rodeo riders, and pretend to be in a boat, fishing, while in the swings. They also love swinging on the rings, sitting in them with their legs through the rings, hanging from their knees upside down with adult help, swinging upside down, and pretending they are trapeze circus performers.
We also got a used tire for free from a tire shop and attached three loops of rope to it, and from those ropes brought three connector ropes up to meet at a central meeting place to which we can hang it from the ropes the rings are on. The tire weighs 21 lbs, and three boys of up to 50 lbs could safely swing together on it. I love that they have an indoor swing set for the cold winter months.
Ice skating and swimming will be a great activity for days that are below zero degrees Fahrenheit. And, of course, the new Children's Discovery Museum.
Okay, it's an "Eye-hook" not an "i-hook." I guess ipods and i-phones have my mind thinking about i-hooks. Funny!
ReplyDeleteWowee! What a GREAT idea! So wish we had that much room in our home! Shared this on facebook because I want people to see it!!! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI have a picture of it on my face book page, with my friend's kid's swinging in them. Look it up under Heather Finkel (BlueRafferty@yahoo.com) my picture has my husband and I in the main photo, to help you find me. Love, Heather
ReplyDeleteBy the way, our living room is only 13 by 13, with a three person couch on one side, a 12 inch deep, long (8 foot) board on one wall that is propped up on two cloth covered cinder blocks for toys on top and under it. And a cozy reading corner made of two crib matresses and a bunch of pillows. It's certainly open in the center and child-centered, but not large. It's a small 1022 foot condo we live in with the four of us. But it works!
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