Colorful, Squishable and Free of Most Allergens: Eco-Friendly Dough for Kids

We first encountered Cammie Weeks at the Culver City Farmer’s Market in Culver City, CA, where she manned (or womanned) the Eco-Kids booth most Tuesdays. Our tots went nuts for Eco-Kids’ smooth, delightful-smelling, splendidly squishable Eco-Dough, which Cammie proffered, with incredible energy and her signature smile, in a multitude of hues, along with kid-friendly cutting and rolling implements. So we were delighted to discover that now Eco-Kids’ can be found in shops around the country, and online. This dough is like no other we’ve found. Eco-Kids makes its play dough with plant, fruit and vegetable extracts, and without chemicals, artificial dyes or metals. What’s more, Eco-Kids will customize gluten-, dairy- and/or soy-free Eco-Dough to order—good news for parents of young ones with allergies or food sensitivities, because what kid doesn’t pop a wad of dough into his mouth every now and then, just to see what it tastes like? And you know how commercial kids’ dough gets hard and crumbly when it’s exposed to air for a while? Not so Eco-Dough. Even if it’s left out overnight, you can return it to its previous, pliable state with a few drops of organic olive oil. We like to perform this particular trick with an “abracadabra” and a whole lot of hoopla, much to our wee ones’ delight. Need more persuasion? How about this: Eco-Kids packages its dough in 100% compostable cornstarch containers, sells adorable bamboo rolling pins to accompany the dough, and also offers Eco-Fingerpaint, Eco-Puzzles and just about the cutest little gift sets you’ve ever seen. —Natasha Garber is the former editor of Los Angeles Family magazine. Currently, she is a contributor to numerous bridal, event and lifestyle publications across the country, where she covers green events and event planning, sustainable catering and cuisine, and fashion and design trends. A mother of two and passionate proponent of eco-conscious family living, Natasha lives, writes, parents, plays and makes fresh, organic, totally delicious baby food in Los Angeles. Want a smaller carbon footprint? EcoStiletto.com is giving away a free pair of eco-friendly shoes worth $500 or more every month! Get the lowdown on shrinking your carbon footprint from an Ugg boot to a Manolo with daily green fashion, beauty, lifestyle, parenting, celebrity and eco-events nationwide and change the world, one small step at a time. Stiletto-size me!