Creativity Comes to Life with the Sands Alive Play Set from #HearthSong! #HolidayGiftGuide #Review + #Giveaway

Baby, it's cold outside! Winter is on its way, and we're already feeling the lack of sunshine take its toll on us! I crave the sunshine, and love to be outside, so we stay outside and play for as long as possible during the spring, summer, and early fall. Now that it's usually too chilly to play outside a whole lot (this time of year), we're having to find fun and creative ways to pass the time inside- and I've heard that it's supposed to be a cold, wet, long winter! Yikes!

Thankfully, our friends at HearthSong have come to our rescue, providing us with endless indoor fun! I love HearthSong, sister to Magic Cabin and Plow and Hearth. HearthSong has been comitted to connecting moms and dads with wholesome, quality playthings for their children since 1983 (that's the year I was born!). HearthSong was founded by Barbara Kane, and shipped the very first HearthSong catalogs, which were printed in black and white, and included pencil drawings of select toys, from her very own home. Years later, HearthSong still embraces its name, celebrating the Hearth as the center of the home, and the Song, which embodies a family's spirit. HearthSong believes that children ought to be occupied with the joy of creative play and just being kids, and they offer quite a unique selection of acitivites, toys, decor and more!

We have had the pleasure of working with HearthSong in the past, and let me tell you- their selection of children's toys and games is amazing! They offer unique, quality products that you'll feel good about giving to your precious little one.

B had no idea what our friends at HearthSong sent to us. I wanted him to be surprised!

Check out what we received- Sands Alive!

B was absolutely thrilled that we received a Sands Alive Play set from HearthSong (thank you, HearthSong!). B has a sandbox out in our backyard, and has been totally bummed that it's been too cold to go out and play in it lately. We love to do art, crafts and projects, but this set was about to open up a whole new world of indoor play and creativity for us!

We loved the packaging- a colorful wrap around the product case.

Everything included in this Sands Alive set came inside of this little red plastic suitcase!

Contents of the Sands Alive set...

...sand, and lots of cool tools to make designs and shapes!

B couldn't wait to 'dig in' and start playing with his awesome new Sands Alive set from HearthSong. We had previously seen Sands Alive in a few specialty toy stores, and for B, it was love at first smash! The cool thing about Sands Alive is that it's kinetic sand- it's sort of like sand dough! It looks and feels like sand, but sticks together like Play-Doh!

Check out this video of our very first Sands Alive experience...

B really loves to play with his Sands Alive set...

...building and creating...

...and rolling!

There's no limit to what you can create with Sands Alive!

'Can I smash it now, mommy?'

We have been playing with our new Sands Alive set pretty much every day since it arrived at our house. It's so much fun! I'm not going to tell you that it's completely mess-free, because it isn't. It is, however, almost mess-free. Since the sand sticks together, you won't really have grains of sand all over the place. You may have a few stray sand clumps or crumbles here or there, but if you use a designated area for playing and creating, you'll keep the mess to a minimum. It can easily smoosh into your child's clothing, so definitely be mindful of that, as you would with any type of modeling clay, dough, etc.

Details of the Sands Alive Set from HearthSong

"How do you hold a moonbeam in your hand?" This soft, airy, moon-hued combination of sand and other natural ingredients actually moves in your hand! It's easy to clean up and can be used again and again (100% nontoxic and antibacterial). Set includes 3½ lbs. of Sands Alive, eight geometric shape molds, brick and pebble rollers with interchangeable handle, two detail tools, and a play-and-store carry case. All the fun of sand without the mess! For still more fun, order an Extra 5 Lbs. of Sands Alive.

• All the fun of sand without the mess!

• Soft, airy, moon-hued combination of sand and other natural ingredients

• Actually moves in your hand

• 100% nontoxic and antibacterial

• Use it again and again

• Includes 3 1/2 lbs. of Sands Alive, eight geometric shape molds, brick and pebble rollers with interchangeable handle, two detail tools, and a play-and-store carry case.

• Order an Extra 5 Lbs. of Sands Alive for even more fun!

For ages 3 and up.

HearthSong has lots of other awesome holiday gift options!

Galactic Bed Tent

Vortex Glow in the Dark Marble Run

Golf Pool Indoor Game

Connectagons

Grow with Me Art Easel

Castle Building Play Set

Want It? Buy It!

Any of the above featured items would make wonderful gifts this holiday season! Head on over to HearthSong to browse all of their wonderful toys, games and gifts! HearthSong makes it easy to find gifts for children of all ages- shop by category, by age, or use the gift finder for a little extra help in finding that perfect gift!

I encourage you to take a moment to learn more about HearthSong Heroes- Kids Helping Kids Through Play!

Stay connected with HearthSong through Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Google +.

Want It? Win It!

One lucky reader will win their very own Sands Alive Play Set ($59.98 RV) from HearthSong! Ths giveaway is open to US residents, 18 and older- no PO Boxes, please. Just use the handy RC entry form below to enter for your chance to win!

Notice that Facebook options are missing from the entry form? Due to new Facebook regulations, we are no longer able to ask readers to like our blog's page or our sponsor's page on Facebook as a giveaway entry. Please be sure to visit and 'like' both pages on your own- to show your support for our sponsors and the MBP team.

Special thanks to our friends at HearthSong for allowing us to experience the fun and magic of Sands Alive, and for offering this special holiday giveaway to our readers!

Good luck!