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Mama K’s Aromatic (and gluten free!) Play Clay, A Review and Giveaway

If you are the mother of a gluten free and/or food allergic child, then you know how important it is to have a safe play dough for your kiddos (if you are brand new to the gluten free lifestyle, please note that Play-Doh™ is NOT gluten free and neither is Crayola Dough).

Why does that matter you ask?

Exhibit A:

Enough said? 😉

The good news is that there are several safe alternatives and I’ve reviewed a good many of them. Click here to read my review of Aroma Dough, Blue Dominoes (sadly, Blue Dominoes is no longer in business), Soy-Yer Dough and Colorations Wheat & Gluten-Free Play Dough. FIMO Polymer Clay is gluten free too (I used this to make the Jungle Junction characters for Luke’s birthday cake last year), and I also make my own gluten free play dough, using the recipe I shared on my Gluten Free Art Supplies Page.

Now I have the pleasure of sharing a new gluten free modeling compound with you, Mama K’s Play Clay!  What I like about Mama K’s is the fact that the clay is all-natural, with no artificial colors…very important for kiddos who can’t tolerate chemical dyes.

From the Mama K’s Play Clay website (bold emphasis added):

Get more from your play time.  A wholesome, all-natural addition to play time, Mama K’s Play Clay is a kid-safe clay with subtle aromatherapy oils to soothe the mind.  Ingredients are basic and natural: they include certified gluten free flour, extra virgin olive oil, vegetable colorants and pure essential oils. Available in seven scents, including soothing lavender, relaxing chamomile and tension-easing bergamot.

Our ingredients are 100% natural and Mama K’s Play Clay is suitable for kids with Celiac and Autism Spectrum disorders.

Kari Erickson-Valenzuela, aka Mama K, created her unique scented Play Clay for use with her own active three-year-old, Olimpia.  Avoiding the artificial ingredients and cloying fruit and soda scents seen frequently marketed to children, she came up with a product that inspires focus and creates a calming atmosphere, all while encouraging creativity.

A few months ago, Kari sent me a complimentary 5-pack of the Mama K’s Play Clay and this was one of the treats that “The Easter Bunny” brought to my two little guys (thank you Kari).  As with any other modeling compound, my boys had a ball playing with the Play Clay (and yes, Luke was again prompted by his big brother to have a nibble, just in case you were wondering). 😀

I loved the texture (not the least bit sticky) and the beautiful natural colors of the award-winning Mama K’s Play Clay.  My husband had to be the sniffer on my behalf and he appreciated the subtle hint of aroma from the essential oils, it was not the least bit overpowering (good for sensitive noses!).

I asked Kari a couple of questions regarding manufacturing and she said that the Play Clay is made in a dedicated facility, in fact it’s the only product made there so no need to worry about cross-contamination issues.  Considering that we have additional dietary sensitivities, Kari did share with me that the Play Clay does contain corn and sorghum.

You can view all of Mama K’s Play Clay products on their Etsy store.  I think the Mama K’s party pack would make a great goodie bag for my soon-to be 4 year old’s birthday party next month; you get (30) 1-oz. play clays plus (10) party bags for $40.00 + shipping (much less expensive that what I made last year)!

Today though, you have a chance to win a FREE 5-pack of Mama K’s Play Clay!

To enter for a chance to win the same 5-pack of gluten free play clay (a $23.99 value) that Kari sent to me, simply leave a comment!

For extra entries you can do one or all of the following (strictly optional, just be sure to leave a separate comment for each completed take you do, as this is how I make sure you get credit for your bonus entries).

I will announce the winner on Monday, June 6, 2011.  Good Luck! 😀

Comments

  1. I would love to try this stuff out. My kids pulled out the Aroma Dough and a lot of it is drying/crystalizing. Funny that the homemade play dough I made about 2 years ago is still soft and pliable.

  2. My food sensitive little guy has a birthday coming up. I would love to give this to him! 🙂

  3. Liked Mama K's on Facebook!

  4. ‘Liked’ Adventures of a Gluten Free Mom on Facebook!

  5. Looks FANTASTIC. I want some! Not only does my tween on the autism spectrum like to play with stuff like this (she's GF and more) but my (younger than my children) nieces and nephews will be coming to visit soon – what a fun fun group activity!

    🙂 pick me! pick me!

  6. I like AoaGFM on facebook

  7. I like Mama K's Aromatic Play Clay on facebook.

  8. Holy cow! Aromatherapy gf play clay. I. LOVE. IT.

  9. Those are awesome! I would love to win them for my 2 year old!

  10. This looks like a ton of fun!

  11. Please please please pick me! 🙂 My Charlotte ended up in the hospital because she ate play-dough. We would love to try it out.

  12. I am a friend on FB!

  13. Sweet! I've been wanting to try this for my two girls. I'm entering/liking and following ALL. 🙂

    Thank you for hosting this great giveaway…. GF kidlet stuff is hard to find.

    -Kate

  14. I like Mama K’s Aromatic Play Clay on facebook.

  15. Tabby Rowden says

    I "liked", but i would love Mama K's playdough for my almost 3yr old daughter!!!

  16. Would love to win some for my 2 year old : ) !

  17. I like Mama K on Facebook

  18. I like Adventures of a Gluten Free Mom on Facebook

  19. We love this stuff! Smells heavenly.

  20. Very neat. My kids would love this. Have tried Moon Dough but it really doesn't work all that well. For now we have just been playing with Silly Putty (but obviously it is nothing like dough).

  21. oooh, we've been hoping to try this!!

  22. liked Mama K on FB 🙂

  23. liked AoaGFM on FB 🙂

  24. Looks like another great giveaway!

  25. domestic diva says

    Lovely! THanks for the chance.

  26. Yahoo for GF playing dough!!!

  27. Michelle M says

    I've been meaning to try some gluten free playdough. So far my little one has gone without it 🙁

  28. These are sooo cool! Ive been making my own at home, not nearly as colorful and I bet these smell better too!

  29. I ‘Like’ Mama K’s Play Clay on Facebook!

  30. I ‘Like’ Adventures of a Gluten Free Mom on Facebook!

  31. I ‘Follow’ Mama K’s Play Clay on Twitter!

  32. I ‘Follow’ Adventures of a Gluten Free Mom on Twitter!

  33. I would love to let our daughter play with this play clay!

  34. I've made my little guy's "play-doh" and we've had a ball with it, but since he is just starting his GFCF diet, this has been on my mind. One of the many things to check off in switching over our life to keep him GFCF. Thanks for sharing the post and answering my question about what's our there!

  35. Yvonne L. says

    I would LOVE to try this with our kids!! We`ve been looking for a safe alternative to "play dough" for YEARS!!

  36. Play Doh is on my sons preschool list for school and I am alittle worried about it. This would be perfect! 😉

  37. I like adventures of a GF mom on FB!

  38. Awesome giveaway!

  39. Christy L says

    My son loved playdough. So excited to try this product!

  40. Christy L says

    "Liked" Adventures of a Gluten Free Mom. I read through your kids birthday party ideas- specifically cake decorating. It made me feel so much better as I had been really worried about my son's 2nd birthday today. But he had yummy cake and a great day. Thank you for sharing your experiences- they were very helpful. (My son went GF after Celiac Dx in January '11.)

  41. Christy L says

    Liked Mama K's on Facebook. So excited to try this safe play dough. 🙂

  42. the teachers never understand about the play dough..and always think we are paranoid 🙁

  43. Ohhh.. I'd love to try this playdough.. we've tried Soy-yer dough and found it to be kinda sticky, but we still use it! Oh and I liked it on facebook 🙂

  44. I would love to try this playdoh with my preschoolers. When they make me a "muffin" I would actually be able to touch it (without having to wash my hands after!).

  45. This would be so wonderful to win. We bought our daughter a huge playdough set and workdesk for Christmas and found out she was gluten intolerant a month later, forcing us to get rid of it. She was so dissapointed to say the least. So neat that they make a gf dough!!

  46. We follow you on Facebook!

  47. We follow you on Twitter!

  48. Missy Derr says

    I would love to win this for my gluten free Kids!!!

  49. Joanna Talley says

    I have tried to make several GF playdoughs on my own with little sucess. It is way to crumbly. I would love for my little guys to see what it's like to play with play dough that sticks together.

  50. In addition to the gluten-free aspect, I love the idea of the aromatic oils used!

  51. So cool! I have been trying to limit play-do, wash hands and watch like a hawk. This would be sooo much better!

  52. I "like" you on facebook!

  53. I "like" Mama K's on facebook!

  54. Sharon Robertson says

    What a great idea. Covering all the bases – good fun for gluten-free kiddos.

  55. MamaKate says

    This would be a wonderful addition to our craft collection 🙂 My boys LOVE playing with home made gf playdough, but it would be nice to NOT have to make it 😉 (not that I mind making it at all…but you know what I mean)

  56. I would love to win this. My 20-month-old has never had the joy of playing with Play Dough and my 4-year-old can't play with it now either. Pick me!

  57. I would LOVE,LOVE,Love to try Mama K's Play Clay because my son is going into Kindergarten this year his teacher wants to know what playdough is gf! I'm gonna look up her etsy store.

    Thanks for passing this along!

    Pam

  58. I haven't let my 22 month old play with play-do because I was afraid she would eat it. I would love to watch my kiddo squish this stuff up on the table.

  59. we love her play clay too! thanks for this chance

  60. I'd love to try this with my kids. I haven't had time to make multiple batches of gf playdough for them, so they have to manage with one color.

  61. Would love to try this for my kiddos! Thanks for the giveaway!

  62. I follow you on facebook!

  63. I follow Like’ Mama K’s Play Clay on Facebook!

  64. I would love to win this for my kids!

  65. My kids will certainly love this.

  66. Thanks for posting this!! I am fighting with the school about supplies my daughter uses and told them I will substitute what I need to. This will be a great alternative to play doh.

  67. Have you ever played with Crayola model magic? It is gluten-free. I love it. It feels kind of like playing with marshmallows and you can change the colors by coloring it with markers or you can buy it colored. Then you can make models of anything you want or sculptures or anything and it air dries and you have your own perfect creations! It's so fun! It dries and feels kind of like a Styrofoam cup and is very lightweight! 🙂

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