Mama K's play clays are sweet-smelling, natural and gluten-free

At some point, most parents of young kids bust out the play dough to keep little hands busy. While the commercial options are endless, industrious moms and dads know that they can make play dough with common kitchen ingredients.

Local mom Kari Erickson-Valenzuela did just that, stumbling onto a recipe that contains a proprietary mixture of gluten-free flours, extra virgin olive oil, vegetable colorants and organic, pure essential oils. In January 2009, Erickson-Valenzuela launched her company, Mama K's Aromatic Play Clay, as a natural alternative to store-bought play dough. The collection consists of seven colored clays scented with bergamot, cardamom, chamomile, geranium, lavender, lemongrass and sweet orange.

While her foray into play clay started scent-free, Erickson-Valenzuela found that once she added the essential oils to the recipe, her young daughters began to really focus while playing with the clay. "The smell is part of the experience," she says. "It lingers on the hands and leaves them feeling nice and moisturized."

Erickson-Valenzuela sells her clay to therapists who work with special-needs children, explaining that the scent enhances the therapeutic quality of the play clay. Even if aromatherapy isn't your thing, the olfactory pleasure that these clays provide cannot be denied.

Additionally, since Mama K's Clay is free of common allergens such as chemical dyes, gluten, soy and nuts, practitioners like naturopath Kim Kelly at Greenwood Wellness Clinic feel good about supporting the product by offering it for sale in their offices. "I'm finding more and more gluten-sensitive kids in my practice," says Kelly. "Mama K's is a great alternative for them."

The clay is a little softer than the classic commercial play dough we're all familiar with, but is just as fun to play with and create snakes, snowmen, balls or whatever else your imagination can conceive.

Mama K's clays retail for $22 for a set of five scents, and individually for $4.50 each. They can be purchased at Bootyland, RetroActive Kids, Precocious Toys and online at http://www.mama-ks.com.

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