CANFIELD — Canfield High School science teacher Ashley Gibbs and local dental hygienist Devin Pirko have joined to bring to market a new fun kit for children based on sensory play

Their new business and products will be featured in the March-April edition of Parenting Special Needs Magazine.

“We focus on sensory-based play as it assists in cognitive growth, teaches problem-solving skills, and fosters creativity all while offering screen-free fun,” Gibbs said.

The new products and business had a humble beginning, where the real stars are the kids.

Gibbs is an Ursuline High School graduate who went on to Mount Union to earn her biology major. Pirko is a North Jackson native who attended Youngstown State University for dental hygiene. Both married and became moms just prior to the COVID-19 lockdown.

“My son (Greyson, who in now 3) was getting bored during the lockdown,” Gibbs said. “So I put beans in a large Tupperware container along with some of his construction trucks, and it was like an indoor playground for him.”

Gibbs later was talking with her friend Pirko about what she did. Pirko then made one for her son and it had similar results: long hours of enjoyment that helped the young children to develop skills they didn’t realize they were doing.

“Brain development, problem solving, expansion of vocabulary, and mood enhancement are all benefits of sensory play,” Gibbs said. “For my son, he was able to process better, his speech improved and he was playing independently. Much better than electronics.”

She said the imaginative play the sensory kit brought on was actually teaching the children to use specific parts of the brain, and in making nerve connections.

The sensory kit was so popular with Greyson that a new one was put together and given as a Christmas present that year. It was around that time that Gibbs and Pirko decided it was a product that filled a need and there seemed to be a demand.

The two formed Who isyomama, and they continued to study and develop products that encouraged independent sensory play. Gibbs said the kits are like indoor sandboxes that use corn kernels, rice, or beans instead of sand, making for an easier cleanup.

The first kit offered by the new business was the “Fall on the Farm” kit. It is comprised of a wooden box containing corn, a section of green grass mat, a white picket fence, a construction vehicle, a glass tube and a scooper and miniature bucket. Gibbs said just add a child’s imagination and watch the fun grow.

Besides corn, the two women also have used rice, oats, beans, and even Cocoa Puffs as the basis for the kits. Themes can cover a wide variety as new kits are constantly being put together. They have requests for a railroad-themed kit that should be out soon.

And, the women have a built-in product testing department. Gibbs has Greyson and his sister Gianna, 1, and Pirko’s son Parks is 4.

“Every time we make bins (or kits) our kids actually serve as test subjects,” Gibbs said.

They also have branched out into older students and adult markets by providing calming kits, such as one that sits in a nicely crafted wooden platter. It contains lavender colored rice that is scented with toxin-free, pure essential oils. Included are some tools, such as a miniature rake, a wooden scoop and a small bowl of mini-marshmallows. This kit has a calming effect and even adults can’t help but mess with it.

Gibbs and Pirko also discovered a simple, easily made product that can help calm teens and adults. It is a simple bottle of glitter and colored liquid. By shaking it up and watching it, a calm is felt. The bottles take roughly 2 1/2 minutes for the glitter to settle.

While the products are attracting more customers, it also caught the eye of parents in the special needs arena. That spurred a search for more information.

“When we started, we never considered special needs kids,” Pirko said. “We’ve since taken classes and training to address their needs.”

The kits take into consideration colors, themes, and touch, all which are important issues to special needs children, who see the world differently. Kits that serve those needs are available as the women expand into other areas.

The latest creation for the women is a miniature science kit. Gibbs designed a box with four experiments inside, such as balloon magic and making a lava lamp. She said the science kit was designed to encourage eye-to-hand coordination and math skills.

“We have found that kids learn more by doing than by showing,” she said. “The benefits of sensory play lies in brain development and establishing necessary nerve connections at a young age.”

Who isyomama is a spare- time business for Gibbs and Pirko. Gibbs works full time at Canfield High School and is a student working toward a masters degree in education technology at Ashland University.

Pirko is a full-time dental hygienist in North Jackson and serves as a pro educator for Water Pik in this area. Both said the business is done in their spare time and on weekends.

They are not sure what to expect when the national magazine comes out, but they are glad to provide the tools for children to develop to their full potential, through simply play.