Get Creative With Clementine Art!

I've always got my eye out for the safest products for kids. As promised, here is another great option for the kiddos on your Christmas list. Today we received a highly-anticipated package of products to review from Clementine Art. I first noticed Clementine Art products in Whole Foods. I checked out the website and was so impressed with the company's products and the story behind them. What a fabulous company!

Clementine Art is a natural children's art company. The products are all natural, truly non-toxic, free of synthetic preservatives, animal by-products, and petroleum. They are the first art product company to list all ingredients on its packages. The company uses renewable resources, even down to the beautiful packaging, which is made from mostly recycled materials and is printed with soy-based inks in a wind-powered facility. AND the products are made in the USA.

We received a pack of natural soy crayons and natural modeling dough to review. Of course, my little one wanted to dive right in, ripping the package open and getting down to some serious art business. It is always amazing to see a child's creativity and imagination at work-it's magical. And that is what Clementine Art is all about.

Clementine Art was started by Diana Mercer, a former teacher with over 20 years experience in education, arts education, and child development. She wanted to "create products that not only engaged children in an open-ended creative process, but that could also become an everyday part of healthy and creative lifestyle."

So what did we think of the products? Well, I had a hard time getting my little one to put them away and wash up for dinner. First, we opened the modeling dough, which comes in three colors-yellow, green, and red. This all natural dough is soft and pliable, tons of fun, and smells delicious.

When I opened the box of crayons, I wasn't sure what my daughter would think, but she really liked them. These soy crayons have a totally unique shape, that I absolutely love. My daughter tends to push hard when writing or drawing and she often breaks her crayons, even the larger triangular-shaped ones. These crayons are thick and durable, and are just the right shape to encourage writing. They don't have that "crayon" smell, and they don't come with paper wrapping, so you need not fuss about your kids peeling it away and leaving little pieces all over the house! Also, my daughter accidentally wrote on the carpet, so I got the opportunity to test and see that they wash fairly easily as well.

I would definitely recommend Clementine Art products. What I really love about Clementine Art is that the products are high quality and absolutely safe. We can't wait to try the other items in their line. I only wish that they had been available sooner.

I would love to see Clementine Art expands their product line to include a larger variety of colors. That would be the only slight downside for me right now. Still, we are looking forward to lots of safe playtime with Clementine Art. Kids love to explore, and often that means their little hands AND mouths coming into contact with paint, glue, crayons, whatever they are creating with. Why not choose the safest products available?

Be sure to check out www.clementineart.com to read more about all of their naturally fabulous products!

Here's to happy, healthy, budding little artists!

Btw Cleliac friends, these products are not all gluten-free, but I plan to blog about wheat-free products soon :)

Pretty Little Piggy!

It's that time of year. Christmas decorations are popping up everywhere, stores are stocking up their toy supplies, and parents will soon begin to scramble! So I thought I would post a few more of my favorite safe picks for kids. I'll start with this great stocking stuffer for girls!

Since we have a little princess in our midst, we have lots of fun with all the girly stuff. Like most little girls, our daughter loves to paint her nails, just like her mommy. Oh what fun! We have been using the more natural polishes for years now, but our newest find is the Best. We love Piggy Paint!

I first discovered Piggy Paint in a magazine, and have since read review after review from fellow mommy bloggers. So I decided to order some a while back to see if it was truly as wonderful as I had heard...AND it is!

So what is so great about Piggy Paint? Well, for starters, my little one loves anything "piggy". But in addition to that, this awesome nail polish is made from a water-based formula, and is totally free of all the harsh chemicals found in most other brands. The Piggy Paint site boasts that "Piggy Paint is specially formulated from God’s natural ingredients and dries to a hard, durable finish. There are no toxic chemicals; it’s free of formaldehyde, toluene, phthalates, biphenyl A, ethyl acetate and acetone."

Piggy Paint truly is as natural as mud. It doesn't even have a hint of harsh odor...it actually smells a little like dirt. I was also surprised at how well the special polish remover works. And I am quite impressed with the beautiful colors Piggy Paint comes in. I liked them so much that I decided to give myself a piggy pedicure. I have been searching for the perfect red for some time, and now I've finally found it in "Sometimes Sweet"!

Now Piggy Paint is offering To Your Health readers 15% off! Just use the coupon code at checkout and you'll receive 15% off anything at www.piggypaint.com , including sales items. They ship worldwide.

COUPON CODE: HEALTH15L
EXPIRATION DATE: Feb 28, 2010
Spend over $25 and domestic shipping is FREE!

Here's to being a girl!

Healthy Play

As a mom, it is a little unnerving to go to a toy store and see the "recall list" posted up on a corkboard. More and more toys are being recalled due to unsafe levels of lead and other chemicals. Toys are a big business and there are so many to choose from. I am excited to see that wooden toys have made a huge comeback. These classics have been around for a long, long time but recently I am finding them more readily available.

Some of our favorite toys are by Melissa and Doug. From puzzles to pretend play, I can be sure my little one will be entertained and safe with these beautifully handcrafted toys. Melissa and Doug makes most of their toys in the USA, they use non-toxic paint, and the toys are constructed from wood or plastic that is free of harmful chemicals.

Our most recent kid purchase was a bag of Magic Nuudles. My daughter had lots of fun getting creative with them this afternoon. They are biodegradable, non-toxic, and most importantly, they are silly. The possibilities are endless with these little blocks made out of cornstarch! Here is a giraffe with a little Daddy and Phoebe (our little one) riding it. My husband is quite talented. I am so jealous!


If you are looking for a great way to entertain your little one at restaurants, I recommend Wikki Stix. We first discovered these at a nearby restaurant that handed them out with their kids menu-brilliant! Crayons just don't cut it for long with our busy little bee. Wikki Stix are much more captivating, and fun for all ages to fiddle around with. These fun and flexible sticks are made in the USA from natural materials and are non-toxic.

These fun toys can be found at your favorite educational or toy store. I find the best deals on Amazon. Search the To Your Health Amazon store under "kid stuff" for more. Here's to happy AND healthy playtime!