Why My Mom Made Me Organic, All Natural, Gluten Free PlayDough

                                                                                by

                                                                         Mark Lindgren

When I was in Kindergarten I would cry sometimes and I don’t know why.  I would just get this really funny feeling and start crying.  My teachers would hug me but that didn’t do anything.  They talked to my mom because they didn’t know why I was crying every day.   

Then my brain got cleared up and I knew it was the yellow clay.  We made letters from yellow clay and it was messing up my brain.  I told my mom and she told my teacher.  My mom asked my teacher if she could make mine at home and the teacher said yes and I didn’t cry anymore!  We don’t know what was in the clay but I was so glad it was gone.

I also had trouble in art class with stinky permanent markers.  They mess up my brain too.  My mom buys me special ones from the store.  I love art and want to do it.  I just don’t want my brain to feel funny.

Mothers Note:  When Mark told me that he suspected the yellow clay was making him cry, I immediately ran over to the computer to email his teacher.  Waiting for me in my inbox was an email from the teacher stating she was spending so much time going over why Mark was crying and realized it was the same time of day.  Her question was “Could he be reacting to the yellow clay?”  She just confirmed what Mark told me.

We contacted the clay company and because of trade secrets and proprietary information, they would not release the ingredients or chemicals used in their products.  Our suspicion is that it was colored with Yellow Lead Chromate, but we cannot know for sure or that PVC was used in the product.   I made Mark playdough at home and used natural food coloring and ingredients.  He never had another crying episode again. 

When I asked why it took him so long to tell me (two weeks); he said “My brain was so messed up I couldn’t think and tell you.”  He was able to tell me right away when he took an art class and the odor from the marker gave him a headache.  I went to the local art supply store and bought a low-odor variety and he did wonderful in class.