I discovered the Green Toys sand play set when I was reading reviews on Amazon for another sand toy set, and a reviewer said this one was way better (I bought both, they were right.)
Although this is the only Green Toys product we have, I think they’re pretty awesome. Their products are made entirely in the U.S. and are made mostly of recycled milk containers! The toys are packaged with minimal (recycled and recyclable), corrugated cardboard. All toys are tested by independent, third-party (USA) labs, to show there are no traceable amounts of BPA or Phthlates. No toys have paint or exterior coatings and pass a crazy number of tests including Consumer Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA), Consumer Products Safety Standard Specification ASTM F963, California Prop. 65 restrictions on lead & cadmium, FDA regulations for food contact, Voluntary testing for no BPA (Bisphenol-A) and International standards EN71 and ISO 8124. Yeah, wow.
The package was easy to open. I just…opened it. There were no scissors, chainsaws, sweating or cursing involved!
The set includes a bucket, shovel, rake and sand castle mold. It retails for $21.99 and I know that sounds expensive if you’re cheap frugal like I am. However, I don’t even have the words to describe the quality. We’ve bought the $5 sets before, and you’re lucky if they last a few days. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Green Toys set lasted years and years. The pieces are thick and sturdy, and I bet you could dig in the garden without breaking them! Other toys split or crack if you try to dig at packed sand or step on them. Not these!
There is simply no comparison, even to the other spendy brand of sand toys I bought!
We took the toys to the state park, where there’s a man made lake and beach. My son just went to town and totally had a blast.
At one point a kid (total stranger) ran up, grabbed the bucket and said “can we borrow this?” I was honestly caught by surprise. I just said “uhh, no, this is a brand new toy and we don’t want to lose it.” In my head I was thinking “yeah kid, I know it’s awesome but get your own!” I felt really bad but my husband said he would have said no too!
Green Toys has been nominated for a Red Tricycle award in the Au Natural Toy category! The businesses with the most nominations become finalists, so if you think the Green Toys company is as great as I do, nominate them! It’s really easy, enter their name, URL, your email and city, and submit!
You can buy the set directly from Green Toys, from Amazon
Giveaway: Green Toys is offering a reader their own sand play set! (ARV $21.99) Entries go in the Rafflecopter form below! You may view Rafflecopter’s Privacy Policy.
Maria wants to live in a world where cloth diapers are the norm and moms can make parenting choices without judgement. When she’s not chasing her 18, 14 and 11-year old kids around, you might find her checking out the latest gadgets, organizing something (again) or exercising in the fresh air. 
