This Aussie mum has created the most magical Easter Egg alternative and now we want to be a kid again!
Move over chocolate, 'PlayFizz' is here!
As an adult I freely admit that my favourite part about Easter is the abundance of chocolate on the shelves. Those little solid eggs are grape-sized happiness that can not be compared.
However, as a parent that same abundance of chocolate is a little less easy to manage. By the time the Easter Bunny, class parties, Grandma visits and three months of supermarket wheedling are done that’s a whole lot of sugar that we probably don’t need to be dealing with.
Recognising that an alternative needed to be found is Aussie mum and nature-play enthusiast, Elise Clarkson. After battling the sugar wars for far too long, Elise came up with the magic-filled PlayFizz Egg, which is a kind of cross between a surprise egg and a bath bomb!
This no sugar, no plastic, 100 percent natural, no waste surprise is set to disrupt the way we gift at Easter.
The Wild Mountain Child Playfizz comes in Merfolk, Dragon & Colour Changing Flower Fairy Eggs 🥚
Bounty Parents spoke with Elise, who is the founder and operator of the whimsical, Wild Mountain Child nature-play site to find out just how the PlayFizz Egg came about.
“For the longest time I had my son Oskar convinced that the chocolate around the outside of a Kinder Surprise was actually the wrapping,” laughs Elise. “Then one fateful hot day some melted onto his thumb, he licked it and the gig was up!”
But more than simply a way to dodge chocolate, cutting down on the plastic and waste associated with traditional surprise eggs inspired Elise to get creative.
“PlayFizz is a completely open ended experience. It’s sensory play with discovery and then you get to keep a crystal at the end.”
“Does any parent know where the toys from the Kinder Surprises actually go? Mostly for us they get lost in the car before we’ve even left the shops and the thing that was supposed to help me with five minutes of calming peace is actually the thing that’s going to give me a nervous breakdown!” she says.
It’s the lament of parents the world over. In fact it was another mum at the park who suggested that ‘someone needs to make a surprise egg that is not full of sugar and is zero waste’ who sparked the idea in the Elise’s mind.
“At the time I said: ‘Yes, someone does’,” confesses Elise. “Then a few days later I was in my kitchen attempting to make some kind of bath bomb mix with a crystal inside so we could mix up our mud kitchen play and PlayFizz was born. I knew that I was onto something when my son was taking all the testers as I was making them!”
Elise Clarkson from Wild Mountain Child and her adorable children, Oskar and Rumi will make you want to head outside and get dirty!
So what is PlayFizz?
PlayFizz is a completely natural product that fizzes and bubbles to reveal natural surprises hidden inside.
“My business is nature play based where I sell handmade or ethically sourced products that support natural play,” says Elise. “I have always been passionate about getting outside and exploring, connecting with nature and giving Oskar and Rumi as much of an unplugged childhood as possible.
“I found I am a better parent and human when I go outside with my children; it’s as much for me as it is for them. When you are connected with nature you tend to gravitate towards things that are low tox, natural and don’t create waste and that’s why I created PlayFizz. I wanted there to be an alternative to having something sweet but that was still a treat and was still fun.”
WATCH: PlayFizz is way more fun than a traditional surprise egg! Continues after video …
How does it work?
Just add water to activate the natural fizz and see what is revealed. You can pour water over it, or drop it into a bowl or cup of water and watch it fizz and bubble. Then when it’s finished fizzing you can discover and collect the treasures hidden inside.
PlayFizz is a completely natural addition for mud kitchen and outdoor sensory play.
- Add it to fairy soups or mud pies.
- Use it as a crystal or geology learning tool.
- Keep the crystals for crafting, nature tables, treasure hunts and so much more.
What is PlayFizz made of?
PlayFizz is made of completely natural and, where possible, organic ingredients, no toxic chemicals, colours or scary numbers. It is coloured with organic powders made from natural plant dyes and is scented with essential oils.
You can purchase PlayFizz Eggs at Wild Mountain Child from February 28 and follow along with Elise’s nature play prompts on Instagram by getting outside and getting your hands dirty in the most fun ways.
