Often, as I’m mindlessly scrolling through Facebook, I’ll stumble across a ‘totally satisfying video’ of various objects being squished, poured, moulded or sculpted that are oddly soothing to stare at.
Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR) is a pleasant form of paresthesia that’s been compared to auditory-tactile synesthesia, that creates a sort of relaxing sensation when we listen to or witness various ‘satisfying’ things.
Canal Toys have expertly created products that tap into that emerging sensation with their range of pleasantly sensory So Sand kits.
For our review, we were sent the So Sand DIY – Magic Sand Case from Canal Toys to try out which contains everything needed to create your very own colourful sensory sand. As well as the 4 sandbags included, you get 4 little bags of brightly coloured fine sand, 4 little bags of glitter and 6 cutting and moulding tools.
My 3-year-old, Margot, is a Playdoh fanatic so I knew she’d enjoy getting her hands stuck into this. Adult supervision is required as the recommended age starts at 6+ so she needed lots of help putting the moulds together but no direction was required with the play itself. Margot enjoyed squishing it into a ball and watching it gently melt away between her fingers whilst I enjoyed creating different sushi shapes before cutting pieces away and watching them collide and mould into one another.
Obviously, with Margot being below the recommended age, it wasn’t long before the brightly coloured sand we’d created just minutes before had become the same muddy murky colour as all of our Playdoh as she’d squished them all together. Parents, I’m sure you can sympathise – nothing is sacred with a toddler! This doesn’t take away the fun element of the toy as it still works and feels just as lovely, despite being the colour of a swamp.
I can imagine much older children enjoying the AMSR element as it’s oddly therapeutic so it might be a nice gift for a pre-teen who’s struggling with lockdown and needs help relaxing.
What we liked
Love the sensory element and the fact it doesn’t dry out when stored correctly.
What we didn’t
Some supervision is required as the moulds are a bit tricky to put together but older children shouldn’t have a problem with this.
How much is it and where can I buy it?
The So Sand Tool DIY Kit is priced at £19.99 and is available from all good toy stores including Smyths, Argos and Amazon.
About Canal Toys
Headquartered in France, and with offices in the US, China and Spain, Canal Toys is rapidly growing in the UK. The arts & crafts specialist is synonymous with fresh and innovative products, which are all in-house designed product ranges.
Canal Toys is aiming to establish long term brands for the UK market whilst being at the forefront of the new trends with best-selling So Slime DIY, So Bomb DIY and So Magic DIY.
Review by: Libby Wilkinson
You may also want to read this:
Review: Build Your Own Telescope by Build Your Own Kits
Children’s Book Review: Maker Workshop by Dr Alison Buxton
Review: The Impolite Imps (Uh Oh Milo) by Kate Wogan
* We were sent the Sand Tool Kit for free in return for a review. All opinions are our own.
22 comments
Yes, I have sensory issues too and I love stuff like this!
I personally enjoy it and find it so calming
This looks like really good fun. My girls love slime and sand to play with. This would be ideal for them. I love it is so colourful.
it certainly is and my daughter totally loved it
I want to get this for my grandson. Right now his fascinations are trains and nerf guns. I want him to try other toys that would fuel his creativity. This sand toy sounds perfect!
This is something different and will help him stay calm at the same time
My youngest loves playing with sand, this looks completely her type of thing with the colours and the design, great review.
That you so much Liam, glad you enjoyed the review
This certainly looks like something that can keep your daughter occupied which is good especially in this lockdown!
Totally agree, she enjoyed playing with the So Sand DIY Tool Kit
This looks fabulous, my kids love playing with things like this
Kids love magic sand don’t they?
We’ve got some of this stuff and the girls absolutely love it . Love how it’s little mess too!
My daughter totally loved it, in fact I loved it as well
Ooo now this looks like fun. It is my friends daughters birthday at the end of the month, so this would be perfect x
Yes it would indeed, perfect as a present
This looks like so much fun! I just know my daughter would absolutely love this – she really loves magic sand.
She definitely would Jenni, it is so fun to play with the sand
My daughter would love this, Iooks and sounds like so much fun. Playing with the sand is always fun.
he would indeed, in fact, I enjoyed playing with it as much as my daughter
This sounds like so much for the kids. I feel your pain with the mixing of colours so they resemble the colour of a swamp!
Absolutely! Thanks for your comments