Something magical happens when children play with real, not store bought, clay. Simply the act of molding clay in your hands whether you’re a child or an adult can be very calming. Remember those stress balls that were once so popular? Watch as our children become totally absorbed with a common goal: to build a giant dinosaur from the natural clay we found in our pond.

From our perspective we noticed that time flew by, team work was effortless, communication between the children drastically improved and we didn’t need to lead, teach, manage or chastise anyone!

Whether it’s the sensory response to the clay, the ability to mold it into anything they imagine or the opportunity to express emotions through their physical prodding, smoothing, patting, and molding, all of our children, even those with highly activity levels, became happily engaged and engrossed in their work.

Whilst “toys” have a place in our children’s developmental process they do have a tendency to stifle creativity and limit problem solving and original thinking. Our aim is to introduce our children to the notion that using natural materials and our very own hands we can create something quite special, and that getting messy or dirty can be a fun part of the learning process.

Thank you once again to Spielben And Co. and Uncle Zulu for their creativity, patience and love for our children’s learning.