This giveaway is now closed.  Thanks for stopping by.  The winner is Erma.  Congrats!

If you haven’t noticed, we’re a little artsy around here!  It’s very important that my son is exposed to a wide variety of activities that engage as many of his senses as possible.  And being the eco-minded mom that I am, I’m always on the lookout for natural, safe toys and activities for my son.

A few months ago, I attended an event in celebration of Pregnancy Awareness Month in Los Angeles.  One of the companies featured at the event was eco-kids.  This family-owned business sells eco-dough, eco-fingerpaint, and eco-puzzles.  Much of the paint, glue, and play dough products I’ve seen at the toy stores are labeled “non-toxic.”  But sometimes, I wonder what that means.  I thought my 2 year old was past the stage of putting objects other than food in his mouth.  He proved me wrong when he tried to drink a cup of water that we were using to dip paintbrushes in.  Note to self:  Never leave a 2 year old alone…not for a second.

We had an opportunity to try the eco-dough and eco-fingerpaint.  All of the products are free from artificial dyes, metals, and chemicals.  I still wouldn’t want my son to eat the dough or the paint, but I think I’d feel a little less paranoid if he did.  The eco-dough is made with plant, fruit and vegetable extracts.  It actually smells really good too!  I’ve noticed that if you leave it out for too long, it dries out around the edges.  However, you can add a few drops of olive oil (per the site) to get it back to it’s original texture. It’s super soft and malleable.  The colors are vibrant and my son just loves playing with it.

The other product we had an opportunity to try out was the eco-fingerpaint (although we used paint brushes because mommy doesn’t like a HUGE mess!). I always like to be honest about my reviews, so I’ll start with the good.  First off, the paints come as a powder so you actually mix them yourself at home (ratio of paint to water is 1:1).  The paints are made with natural ingredients and you actually only need a little bit of powder for a few pictures.  They don’t have an odor and they wash off quite easily (from tables, clothes, etc.).  I know this because we got a little messy playing with this. My only complaint is that powders (regardless of the company) always tend to be messy.  You don’t have to worry about the paints drying out since you mix them as you go, but the little containers they come in are not very well sealed.  My son got into one of them (since they’re very easy to open) and we had powder paint everywhere.  My suggestion to the company would be to change their containers.  Otherwise, I like powder versus liquid paint!

The company is truly eco-minded in that their containers are made from cornstarch and 100% compostable (perhaps the reason they’re a little on the flimsy side).  If your child has any type of allergies, be sure to check out their unscented gluten, dairy, and soy-free eco-dough.

You can purchase products from eco-kids at select Whole Foods Markets and boutique-like retailers nationwide.

Win It! One of you will win a goody bag of eco-dough!  Simply head on over to the site and take a look around.  Come back here and leave me a comment with something you liked or learned on the site.  I don’t like asking this, but please take time to visit the sponsors who have generously provided some amazing giveaways.  Some of the companies are mom and family-owned businesses that I truly believe in supporting.  Comments will close on October 11, 2009 at 10 PM PST. One comment per person, please (unless you do the extra credit). US residents only. Duplicates and comments not including the above information will be disqualified. Comments are moderated. If you don’t see your comment in a reasonable amount of time, send me an email. Bloggers and non-bloggers may enter. If you don’t want to leave your email address, please be sure to check back for my announcement on the winner. Please note that winners must respond within 48 hours of being announced/contacted or another winner will be drawn.

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