On a recent trip to Minnesota, my step-mom bought The Boy a new toy to pass some time. Magic Nuudles look like styrofoam, but they are made of cornstarch. You simply wet the “nuudle” with a damp cloth, and they stick together and to other objects.  Once you are done playing with the nuddles, simply dissolve them in water and wash them down the sink!

The box said they were for ages 3+, but my two year old played with them without any problems. We kept an eye on him to make sure he did not try to eat them.  We had a great time on a cold day creating fun designs. I will be keeping some around for rainy days!

The box at my parents was purchased for $4.99 at Hobby Lobby, but you can also purchase them online.

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I loved Eco-dough, so trying Eco-kids eco-fingerpaint ($20 per tube) seemed like a natural progression.  Eco-fingerpaint is made of all natural ingredients.  The powder arrives in a tube like eco-dough and contains additional small dishes to mix the paint in.  The tube and tubs are compostable. Unfortunately, the lids fell off during shipping, so some powder spilled and created a big mess when I opened the tube.

What I Did Like

Compared to fingerpaints by other manufacturers, my son was far more creative with eco-fingerpaint and LOVED playing with the paints. Additionally, he loves to help mix the paint and enjoys using the paints as food he is cooking. He tells me he is making soup, and good soup at that. He uses a spoon to stir the paint in its little tub, dumps the tub out at just the right time, and mixes and matches colors at his own pace and desire. He was incredibly creative and in hindsight, I feel guilty for reacting the way I did to the paint as I tried to mix it properly and move it to different containers for storage.

What I Did Not Like

When I first tried eco-fingerpaint, I wondered if I was doing something wrong. The powder is hard to measure exactly, so achieving the proper consistency takes practice.  However, once I got the mixing right, my son LOVED the paints, so it’s a trade-off, and his enjoyment continues to win out.

Once on paper, the paint dries dull and cracks, so if you are looking for a masterpiece for your wall, this paint might not be for you.

The Big Picture

If you want fingerpaint like the fingerpaints you probably grew up with, don’t order this product. If you want something more natural, give eco-fingerpaint a try.  I was surprised by my son’s reaction, and it was a reminder to me that my preconceived notions of play are a limiting factor not an enabler.

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Eco-dough ($20 per tube) is a natural alternative to play-dough for parents who do not have the time or desire to make their own craft dough. Eco-dough is made with plant, fruit and vegetable extracts and without artificial coloring, metals or chemicals. Eco-kids also produces an eco-dough that is gluten, dairy and soy free for kids with allergies.

When the Eco-dough arrived, I was impressed that the package was stuffed with old newspaper instead of bubble wrap or foam pieces, so I can recycle or compost it all! The tube and tubs are also compostable.

What I Did Not Like

The tubs that hold the dough do not close easily or tightly and falls off often, which makes re-stacking the dough in the tube a challenge. That’s the only thing I did not like.

What I Did Like

Besides the packaging that I mentioned above, the dough is easy to mold and play with for my two year old.  In the past, we have tried “other” store bought play-doughs, but my son has struggled to roll it in to balls and grew tired of it easily. Eco-dough was much easier for him, and he plays with it for longer stretches of time without needing assistance. We used cookie cutters on the dough, which was also a hit! I also purchased their bamboo roller ($4), which made rolling the dough fun for both of us.

The dough was not crumbly, did not dry out even after we inadvertently left the lid off, and comes with instructions on how to re-moisturize it if it does appear to be drying some (add olive oil).

Overall, I love eco-dough and will be ordering it for gifts and when my son needs more dough.

Eco-dough is available in the U.S. and will ship outside the continental U.S.A.

Coming soon… a review of Eco-paint!

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Not so long ago, my mom purchased The Boy some Crayon Rocks. I admit to planting the seed after seeing them on another blog, and they are wonderful. For young hands, they are easier to hold, encourage the tripod hold for older children, and color beautifully.

Crayon rocks are made of soy wax and minerals. The information that came with our box says they are edible, which was nice to read considering our toddler, at the time, enjoyed eating his crayons as much as coloring with them. He has not, however, taken a bite of his crayon rocks.

Aside from coloring, we also use our crayon rocks to practice recognizing colors and counting.

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Struggling with what to get for that budding engineer in your life? Check out the Moov 4-in-1 vehicle kit. It’s not cheap, at 250 Euro, but if your kid gets bored of their scooter, just take it apart and make a trike. Trike not good enough? Go for a racer. Racer ain’t quite fast enough, let them build themselves a carver. Those four plans come with the 220 piece kit, but for the super-creative kids out there, the possibilities are endless. What a great idea to stimulate the imagination and encourage outdoor play!

Moov is produced by the Dutch company Berg Toys. The Moov vehicle kit is recommended for kids between the ages of 5 and 12.

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