*This post was sponsored by Spin Master
In our house we might be slightly competitive. OK OK… SUPER competitive. When we are driving separately, Audrey will SCREAM at me GOOOOO before I even have the door closed to beat the boys home. So the kiddos and I decided to have a HUGE craft day and have a friendly competition between some of the popular sensory products on the market right now.
I had the kiddos grade each product from A-F, A being the best and F being the worst. They compared:
PLAY-DOH, SLIME, SQUAND, PUTTY, and KINETIC SAND
On the following characteristics:
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- Sensory Rating – the texture and feel of product
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- Squishy Rating – how soft the product is
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- Moldable Rating – the capability to shape and form the product
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- Playtime Rating – how long they love playing, how long it keeps their attention
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- Messy Rating – this is more of my rating, because we know who cleans up the messes
- Creativity Rating – does the product stretch their imagination, or how original can the kiddos be with the product
So here is how each product faired:
PLAY-DOH
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- Sensory Rating – C
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- Squishy Rating – B
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- Moldable Rating – B
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- Playtime Rating – A
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- Messy Rating – C
- Creativity Rating – B
We all know and have played with Play-Doh since we were kids. Overall the kiddos like Play-Doh. They can mold it and be creative with it. But I always have to be super careful where the kiddos play with it because of the mess it makes. And after a while, it all has to be thrown away because it has dried out so much!
SLIME
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- Sensory Rating – B
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- Squishy Rating – A
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- Moldable Rating – F
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- Playtime Rating – C
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- Messy Rating – F
- Creativity Rating – D
I must say I’m not a fan of the person who created Slime. The kiddos are fascinated by it, but OH MY WORD! It gets EVERYWHERE! It gets stuck all over them, their clothes, and my worst nightmare, Audrey’s hair!
SQUAND
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- Sensory Rating – B
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- Squishy Rating – F
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- Moldable Rating – F
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- Playtime Rating – F
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- Messy Rating – F
- Creativity Rating – F
In my opinion SQUAND was the worst of all. It did nothing that it said it would. You basically squirted sand into water and it fell to the bottom. The kids had fun for about a half a second and then I put the kaboosh on it because it was making such a MESS. I started to try and salvage it and ended up dumping the whole thing in my yard and threw away the whole box of unopened sand because it was just THAT bad!
PUTTY
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- Sensory Rating – B
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- Squishy Rating – C
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- Moldable Rating – B
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- Playtime Rating – A
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- Messy Rating – D
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- Creativity Rating – B
The kiddos liked the putty but were easily bored with it because there really wasn’t much you could do with it past pulling it apart. Then once you pull it apart it makes the biggest mess and gets all over everything. BOO!
KINETIC SAND
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- Sensory Rating – A
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- Squishy Rating – A
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- Moldable Rating – A
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- Playtime Rating – A
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- Messy Rating – A
- Creativity Rating- A
The Winner: Kinetic Sand
My fellow moms, don’t be fooled by these knockoff brands! There is only one Kinetic Sand, and it is by FAR the superior product. Kinetic Sand is 98% sand and 2% magic! That little 2% is unreal and provides unlimited imaginative play for the kiddos. They can make anything they dream up, with an array of multi-colored sand, from brilliant neon colors to shimmering metallic ones that sparkle and shine! They are completely mesmerized by this product. In Brydon and Audrey’s words, every other product was not “satisfying.” While playing with the Kinetic Sand, they would keep saying how satisfying it was to them. You can shape it and mold it into anything your little heart desires and it NEVER dries out.
What sealed my love for Kinetic Sand, it is by far EASIEST in the clean-up department!
I don’t know who was impressed more, me or the kids. It is amazing how it looks and feels just like sand, but doesn’t stick to them, only to itself! It provided endless play with no mess for this momma to clean up! The kiddos cannot put Kinetic Sand down. Every chance they get, they are asking to play with it. They are even rushing to get everything done in the morning, just to have a minute to squeeze it. OH, and did I mention it’s made with 100% natural sand is free of gluten, casein, and wheat, making it safe for kids with these allergies to play with (especially for kids who are allergic to the ingredients in Play-Doh).
Want to stock up on Kinetic Sand for your kiddos? Purchase here! And don’t forget to follow them on Instagram and YouTube to see it in action!
XOX
Mandy
