Since we had such a good experience with Moon Sand, I did not hesitate when I was offered a chance to review Spin Master's new Moon Dough. I thought it would be similar to the Moon Sand, except it would be more pliable and would be easier to mold. All three of my children were extremely excited to get their hands on this Moon Dough Barn play set, especially my 6 year old son, who had enjoyed playing with the Moon Sand Amusement Park immensely.To prepare, we cleared off a large space on our kitchen table and covered it with newspaper. We always do this for any type of molding clay or painting activities.
I have to admit, I was quite surprised at how lightweight the bags of Moon Dough were. They were light as air . . . not what you would expect from any substance that is suppose to be moist and never dries out. I was intrigued that the dough was hypo-allergenic and wheat-free. This play set came with bags of yellow, white, and blue Moon Dough, a barn, a play mat, and two molds . . . one to create fence segments and the other to create bales of hay.
After producing a headless farm animal or two, we came to realize that we really needed to pack the Moon Dough into the top of the barn very tightly.
Once the space is packed well with Moon Dough, we needed to turn the crank.
If we did this correctly, then a farm animal would appear out the opening and down the ramp of the barn.
Here are some examples of the farm animals we created . . .
The targeted age groups for this toy are toddler to preschool. Our 3 year old twins' interest in this toy lasted much longer than our 6 year old's. Although he enjoyed mastering the art of creating the farm animals, once he did, there was nothing else to engage him.
Because the Moon Dough is so light and flaky, I think it would be helpful if the play mat was much larger. Even though we had covered the table with newspaper, the Moon Dough ended up on the chairs and the floor as well. If you are like me, someone who likes controlled messes only, then I would not recommend this toy for indoor play.
The Moon Dough Barn play set retails for approximately $19.99. You can view the full line of Moon Dough products at MoonDough.com . You can also find out more information by visiting Moon Dough on Facebook and Twitter.
Thank you to Team Mom for sending us a sample product free of charge on behalf of Spin Master to base this review upon.
