Sarah is the founder of Playberry, vegan, plant-made and plastic-free sensory dough for little nature lovers. Here, she explains how play doesn’t have to involve plastic
I’ve studied. I’ve travelled. I’ve lived abroad and on a boat. But I only felt truly rooted once I hit 40 and, from then, having my little girl and creating my family life has been my dream and focus.
When the pandemic hit, I had just finished my Forest School Leader training and was about to set up my own parent/toddler Forest School group – having spent over 10 years working in Early Years. It went no further than the planning stage due to lockdown. I focused on keeping my own family safe as we all did and just cherishing the time we had without any other distractions. Living in a small village in Suffolk, we were lucky to be able to go on lots of nature walks and experiment with creative activities at home – and, through trial and error, this is where Playberry was born!
At the time, sensory play with gloop (flour and water) was our favourite ‘go-to’ activity and I remember searching for more vegan and nature-kind sensory play resources for my little one. I became frustrated that sensory toys were heavily reliant on plastic and chemical-based products and alarmed to see the use of animal and petroleum-based products in food and art materials.
So, during lockdown in 2020, I created Playberry that offers a range of eco-friendly sensory doughs and ‘Discover Nature’ Craft Kits for little nature lovers!
My motto is ‘Play doesn’t have to be plastic!’ And, from the feedback, my customers love the fact that it offers them a way to lessen their impact on the planet as well as loving all the different colours and smells of the doughs!
Being eco-friendly and plastic-free are high standards that I strive for in life and in creating Playberry. I value the ‘leave no trace’ philosophy and wanted every product to be created with the environment in mind.
Each sensory dough is lovingly handcrafted using only natural plant dyes from spices, flowers, or vegetables; scented with essential oils and blended with all food-grade ingredients. The ‘Discover Nature’ Craft Kits have nature educational themes, and my packaging is sustainable wherever possible.
I still do a happy dance each time I get a sale and I am stunned at the response from customers! Playberry has its own website now ( www.playberry.co.uk) alongside an Etsy store and also being one of the brands being sold via Kiddykind -an online store for customers who want to buy from eco conscious, sustainable, ethical and natural brands.
2022 continues to be very busy! I have started a monthly local art play group called MIX MAKE MOVE in Clare Castle Country Park, that offers children and parents opportunities to create using natural materials. Plus I have lots of products for Playberry to launch, including new Natural Dough Impressions Kits that use a variety of seed pods, flowers and natural resources for creative imprinting into your Playberry Sensory Doughs.
To find out more, visit playberry.co.uk; Facebook and instagram.
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