Eco Kids USA's "Eco Dough" play dough is handmade by a very passionate and intense guy I met at the ABC Kids Expo and would have talked to all day if either of us had had the time. His company, which he runs with his wife, has the financial and moral support of Burt's-Bees-founder-turned-organic-clothing-company-Happy-Green-Bee-founder Roxanne Quimby. In addition to play dough Eco-Kids USA also makes a powdered tempera paint, also by hand, and sell colored pencils and art pads that are sourced out. We're guessing Roxanne's hand is still at work in the company, as they announced recently that they're relocating from California to Maine, which happens to be where she lives. If one wanted to speculate.

Their play dough is a rare concoction of all-natural ingredients and plant and vegetable extracts, dyed by beets, spinach, paprika, carrots, purple sweet potato, red cabbage, blueberries and tomatoes. They also make a gluten-free play dough, which is made with rice, banana or potato flour. That version will really cost you, but if you are needing gluten-free it is probably worth it.

We are do-it-yourselfers and would never think of buying play dough but handling this stuff makes it clear how you could justify it. Roughly one-cup-size portions of five vibrant but earth-toned colors of play dough come in a cardboard tube and are easy to get out and put away; our homemade play dough tends to take up the whole house and even with the artificial food colorings we never get colors half as rich. The moisture level is also uniformly just right - ours sometimes comes out a little, eh, sticky. Besides, many of us do buy play dough in a pinch, even if we like the idea of making it, but I always hated for our daughter to get all those weird Play-Doh ingredients on her hands, even if it is supposed to be non-toxic. (No, we don't have any evidence that Play-Doh is toxic. But still.)

A set of five colors of Eco Dough sells for $20 plus shipping from Eco Kids USA's well-stocked shop.

The only warning I'd issue is that these vegetable dyes can bleed. No Hair's bald head was tanning-cream orange when we peeled that Legoman helmet off her scalp and the color only washed about 75% off with a little dish soap. Z also had some stuffed dogs "eating" play dough cookies and they have a bit of yellow on them. Personally I think this is fine - it will probably come out of the dogs' polyester fur once we throw them in the washing machine and there's nothing wrong with a little fakin' bakin' when it comes to Z's dolls - better that than the blue. But you'd better have your child play with this stuff in the proper type of space, not on your kitchen butcher block countertop.

We haven't yet used the paint but are eager to. It seems even more unique (whoops, "more unique," can I get a shout-out from a peeved English major?) than the play dough. We'll let you know what we find.

Like making homemade play dough? Make a "to go" play dough kit for a day at a caregiver's.