We have never used ‘clean dirt’ before, we are more of a ‘dirty’ dirt family! We have incorporated mud/soil into our play before like in our ‘worm’ tuff spot here:
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So last week we decided on a worm tuff spot tray. It was super messy and dirty and the boys loved it, obviously. We got soil and grass from the garden, I had decorative pebbles that I threw in there along with some cooked spaghetti as the ‘worms’ 😂 it was a fab activity 😍
I will have to get it written up on the blog! Play Dirt is clean, hygienic and safe to play with; we obviously highly rate it because it is promoting messy play too! Play Dirt is made by Re:creation and sold by Smyths Toys. Keep on reading to see what we thought of our Play Dirt!
Play Dirt
We got sent the Monster Trucks Rally, a Bag o’ Dirt and the Bugs in a Jar.
Monster Trucks Rally
Within in the box you get:
- 1 patterned roller
- 907g bag of Play Dirt compound
- 2 friction-powered Monster Trucks
- Themed play mat
Bag o’ Dirt
Within the bag you get:
- A 680g of Play Dirt
- 3 garden tools
Bugs in a Jar
You get inside:
- a 226g of Play Dirt
- 2 bugs
What we thought
My boys couldn’t get in the Play Dirt fast enough. The box of goodies arrived at 11:30am and they were in it and playing by 11:45am. Obviously Nico had eaten a fair bit and was caught red handed:
Leo and Mylo absolutely loved the Play Dirt. I can’t speak highly enough of it, it preoccupied them for hours! They stopped for a snack break and went straight back into it, and it stayed out until tea time at 5pm. Nothing really occupies the boys for that long; an activity that I thought would only last an hour max, was drawn out into a whole afternoon which was amazing!
There is only 1 criticism that I have on these items, and it’s that I wish that there were more of the product in them. Because we used our tuff spot tray, it looked like there was barely anything in there after we emptied all 3 of the items in it. I honestly can’t fault it on anything else.
That criticism aside, everything else was amazing! The feel of the Play Dirt wasn’t like normal dirt, it was soft but you could mould it; it was dirty but you could wipe it off; it was so easy to incorporate into play and they were fabulous toys. The Play Dirt obviously ended up all over our living room floor, but it was super easy to clean, it just brushed straight up. I love that the Play Dirt comes in a resealable bag because we are now able to store it to use again in a bag that won’t let the Play Dirt change in consistency.
How these toys aid child development
The Play Dirt range overall is perfect for messy and sensory play, especially for beginners who don’t know where to start. The texture, smell and consistency of the Play Dirt enhances sensory experiences; incorporating other toys your children love into the Play helps them to build upon existing schemas. Language development and communication shouldn’t be forgotten, and using descriptive commentary when playing with your children helps their mind piece together their learning and give it meaning.
Exploration and investigation into using different types of materials; expanding upon their imagination and bringing it to reality with creative thinking; understanding of the world around them by scaffolding the learning further; talk about how flowers need soil and expand into photosynthesis and what flowers need to survive. The lists are endless and the possibilities are even further; mathematics, literacy and physical development each play a role too!
This is definitely birthday/Christmas gift worthy!
You can pick up all of these toys from your local Smyths Toys store!
We were sent these toys in order to provide this review. All opinions and images are that of my own.
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