PlayMais a new much better alternative to Plasticine (PlayMais)

Member Name: SusanLesley

Product:	PlayMais
Date:	13/05/09 (142 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Clean, non toxic, biodegradeable, fun

Disadvantages: I can't think of any

So, have you heard of PlayMais then? No, neither had I until quite recently when I was with my sister and her partner's boys and it was raining. My sister suggested that we play with the PlayMais. The what?

I assume you have heard of Plasticine? Well, PlayMais is the new Plasticine, but what is new and why is it different?

Well PlayMais is made from corn starch and water and is coloured with non toxic food colouring. It is safe for children to play with and is 100% biodegradable. This means that, when the PlayMais is past its best and it is time to throw it away you can just throw it on the compost heap. How's that for recycling?

Incidentally the colouring won't stain clothes either and will wash out at 30 degrees. It is not edible and as such should not be eaten but having said that being cornstarch and food dyes if your child did put some in their mouth it shouldn't do them any real harm.

The product is a German invention and has already won awards in its home country and it is available all over the world, but it is only just on the verge of taking the UK by storm.

PlayMais comes in all sorts of lovely colours and arrives in little blocks which reminded me of brightly coloured Cheesy Wotsits! OK then who remembers the strips of Plasticine we used to have as children? I know there were different colours but they were never very bright were they? Anther difference between the two is that unlike Plasticine, PlayMais won't end up as a brown mush after you have played with it for a while.

The PlayMais feels pliable and can be molded, shaped, cut, squeezed, torn and rolled. The modeling of the PlayMais helps children with their dexterity as they are learning to make ever more intricate creations.

The boys are aged 9 and 13 and the 9 year old in particular loved being so creative. He made a brilliant dinosaur and was even heard to say the following day that he was disappointed it wasn't raining as he wanted to play with the PlayMais again!

PlayMais isn't just a stand alone toy either. By moistening it you can stick blocks of PlayMais together but it will also stick to many other surfaces too. You can stick it to cardboard, glass and paper to decorate cards, pictures and painting or to make window decorations - you can even decorate flowerpots with it.

You can also fix your PlayMais to wire, toothpicks etc for making models - for example you could use this idea to make the axle for a model car. Mind you - you know what children are like - just give them the PlayMais and they will show you what they can do with it.

As with Lego these days you can buy special packs of PlayMais to make specific models such as a castle, a pirate boat, a farm, a circus and a car to name but a few, at prices from £12.99 to £19.99. You can also buy just a box of various coloured pieces of PlayMais and appeal to your child's imagination. These boxes are available in various sizes and, obviously, various prices and I must admit I think this is much the best idea. I could never understand why you would want to buy a box of Lego bricks that just made one item rather than a box of random bricks with which you could make anything you liked and I feel exactly the same about PlayMais.

It's things like this that make me wish I was a child again - I hope my sister lets me play with some more toys soon!

Summary: A great new eco friendly toy