Sioux Falls woman takes play time to a new level with Dexterity Dough

(KSFY)
Published: Feb. 28, 2017 at 8:24 PM CST
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Many of us grew up with household child toy Play-Doh; it's something we've squished and squashed since the 1950s. A Sioux Falls woman has created something, some would argue, better.

With its mission statement 'Be Inspired, Be Creative, Be Bold', Dexterity Dough is changing the way children and adults play, learn and grow. It's taking a passion for health, education and children to a new level.

Best of all, it's made in Sioux Falls.

As the saying goes, 'when you use your imagination, anything is possible'. That holds true along East Plum Creek Road where the sound of creativity, dexterity and imagination fill Jean Magnuson's home each week. They get hands deep in Dexterity Dough which is something that came to life 12 years ago when Jean worked at a pre-school.

"I said 'I've had it with Play-Doh'. I realized that at that point, some play-dough's have a petroleum base. We can do better and I'm going to try and make this. If I can't, I'm going to find it," Dexterity Dough founder Jean Magnuson said.

She wanted something better, safer and more natural.

" As I started to make it, with good ingredients, I tried to find a Play-Doh and bought every one I could find on the internet, to see if someone was already doing it. I couldn't find anything that had engaging colors, ingredients good for your skin, aromatherapy component and they all crumbled," Jean said.

It took her about seven years to perfect her recipe in her kitchen. She often put it to the test with her kids at pre-school.

"In researching essential oils, I found orange oil. The scent comes from 100% organic orange oil. No fake fragrance added. I added coconut oil because of the benefits for the skin and its softness," Jean said.

There are many benefits for kids and adults, she says.

"I have rheumatoid arthritis, my dexterity is limited in my hands. I was talking about how good it is for my hands. My daughter Emily looked up the word dexterity. The meaning she found was skill in using ones hands, mind or body. I said, 'that's it'," she said.

Moms like Shari Nerison love it too.

" All my kids love it. Something they've never had before. Stays together, it smells good. They enjoy it. It's relaxing, they sing with it. they go into their own world, it's fun to watch," Mom Shari Nerison said. "All the stuff out there, you don't know what's safe and what's not and you're letting kids play with it. They're putting hands in their mouth. It doesn't matter if they or the dog eats a little bit."

She officially launched the product to the public in November, 2016. She sells it on her website and in local stores. But she didn't set out to create big business or make a lot of money, she said. She finds her "happy place" simply by making it and seeing others enjoy it.

"If you ask me about my little ones, I get very emotional because... I love their reaction to it. I love that it's genuine. I wouldn't have marketed it had I not seen it in the hands of children and how much they enjoy it."

Dexterity Dough is sold all over the region. You can buy it at Child's Play Toys, Plum's Cooking, Simply Perfect, Treasures from the Heart, The Great Plains Zoo Gift Shop and Elegant Mommy; all located in Sioux Falls. Irish Twins (Beresford), Trendz (Brookings) and Lil' Bean Boutique (Aberdeen).

A portion of each sale helps organizations like Camp Kesem, behavior care specialists, and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. To get your hands on Dexterity Dough, find the website in the 'external links' section of this page.