Frequently Asked Questions
What's in a Creative Littles sensory kit?
Every Creative Littles sensory kit comes with homemade play-dough (not Play-Doh brand) and related tactile toys for interactive and imaginative play.
You can choose from three different sizes for your child: small kits, medium kits, or large kits.
Small kits
Small kits work especially well for traveling with children. They are also excellent Easter basket fillers or stocking stuffers. Each small kit contains:
- 1 color of play dough (roughly X oz.)
- 1-2 figurines
- 3 containers of related tactile toys or materials which can include kinetic sand, seashells, rocks, foam flowers, glitter balls, or even dino eggs.
Medium kits
Medium size kits make excellent birthday gifts or holiday gifts. They are a fun activity when you have at least 20 to 30 minutes to play. Each medium kit contains:
- 2 colors of play dough (roughly X oz. each)
- 2-5 figurines : Kits with a licensed character figurine will have fewer figurines, but there is also variance based on size.
- X containers of tactile toys or materials, which can include kinetic sand, squishy Moshi's, wood rounds or logs, glitter, charms, craft moss, crinkly paper, plastic gems, glass rocks, or foam shapes.
Large kits
Large sensory kits make excellent gifts and the large case is great for high-quality, stackable storage. Each large kit comes with:
- 2 colors of play dough (roughly X oz. each)
- 4-8 figurines : Kits with a licensed character figurine will have fewer figurines, but there is also variance based on size.
- X containers of tactile toys or materials, which can include kinetic sand, squishy Moshi's, wood rounds or logs, glitter, charms, craft moss, crinkly paper, plastic gems, glass rocks, foam shapes, shaped stamps or. cutters, or a play dough roller.
How long will your sensory playdough last?
If properly sealed (i.e, Ziploc bag or in the play pot jar), playdough can last for several months of ongoing play. If left out overnight, it might get crusty, but working with it and kneading it will soften it back up!
Are your play pots montessori toys?
Yes and no.
Officially, there is no such thing as montessori toys. There are only toys that are inspired by the principles of montessori play. Toys that align with Montessori principles include toys that promote hand eye coordination, fine motor skills, gross motor skills, appeal to the auditory senses, and promote open-ended imaginative play.
Here are some characteristics of toys designed to encourage montessori style play:
- Natural colors and materials (lots of wood, flax, and linen). Empty plastic bottles, for example, are synthetic and would not be considered natural.
- No stuffed animals. (Although many Montessori educators recommend plushies as they can provide comfort and companionship.) In some instances, stuffies are not considered at odds if they promote a specific learning purpose (i.e., tying monkey's shoes). A big reason stuffies are at odds is montessori encourages minimalism and stuffies encourage mass accumulation.
- No flashing lights or beeping noises. Nothing battery powered.
- Based on real life. Toys that mimic the consequences of how we engage with our real, natural world like play dishes, small push cars, or miniature farm animals.
- Promote learning. Not just STEM toys, but toys that can teach cause and effect.
- Encourages independence, like learning how to tie one's shoes or zip a jacket.
- Simplistic with an aim toward developing one skill at a time.
Based on this criteria, some to all of the toys in Creative Littles' play pots and sensory play-dough kits align with Montessori principles of play.
Shared Montessori-like characteristics of our play pots and kits to include:
- Tactile stimulation
- Visual stimulation
- Non-electronic
- Promote open-ended, imaginative play
Benefits of Creative Littles' toys vs "Montessori" toys:
- Bright, contrasting colors. Babies and kids love bright (loud) colors and repeated studies show contrasting colors can impact learning and brain development.
- Independent, quiet-time play. Kids are able to focus on our sensory kits and play pots (without any screens or electronic stimulation) for extended blocs of time.
- Portability. Many Montessori-inspired toys are larger, bulkier, or more involved (lots of pieces) like wooden tea sets, toy vacuum cleaners, or wooden stacking blocks -- all excellent toys but impractical for hauling along in a diaper bag or airplane flight.
- Multi-purpose. Montessori focuses on learning one skill at a time and related toys are designed to promote mastery of just one skill (i.e., get the wooden ball to fit through the hole of the wooden box). Creative Littles kits pack in a lot more variety.
"It's not candy!" This is a big one we hear from parents and grandparents who want to find Advent calendar fillers or Easter egg stuffers that are not candy. Unlike the sad spider rings and bouncy super balls (that don't bounce) kids get on Halloween, kids actually love playing with our play-dough kits.