Are you worried about the amount of colouring books your children plough through on a weekly basis? Two local sisters might have the answer to your prayers.
Nicole Braude, 37, and 34-year-old Laura Lester have launched Doodle You, a new company selling personalised, reusable colouring sheets for children which help the environment.
The sisters have four daughters between them - Amelie, 10, seven-year-old Stevie, Olivia, two, and Lily, who has just turned one - and were determined to improve the sustainability of their colouring.
Bricket Wood resident Laura had observed that Olivia’s simple water-based colouring activity simply didn’t keep her attention and was keen to find a solution that allowed the activity to be repeated and reinvented.
“I really appreciated the impact and enjoyment of a simple colouring-in book, but I was so unimpressed with the wastage, not just paper but money spent on pencils, pens and erasers - how can a two-year-old go through so much? Then there’s the mess, most parents are forever tidying up!”
Nicole was immediately on board, having a daughter with dyslexia who struggles with mainstream learning but has found colouring to be a form of art therapy, helping her to relax and to relieve her anxiety.
Nicole, who lives in Radlett, explained: "We are both family-orientated and passionate about creating engaging products to aid children’s development and imagination. After becoming concerned about the number of hours our children were spending on screens during lockdown, we dreamed up the idea for Doodle You."
She added: “Colouring is known to have the ability to relax the fear centre of your brain. It induces the same state as meditating by reducing the thoughts of a restless mind.”
Doodle You launches new themes every few weeks, including Dinosaurs, Let There Be Love and the Over The Rainbow theme, of which 10 per cent of sales will be given to Fight For Life, an NHS charity dedicated to raising funds for children with cancer.
Youngsters use washable markers on the specialised paper, which can then be wiped clean and used time and time again.
Every order is personalised and delicately incorporated into the design of each theme.
Nicole added: "Starting a new venture during the most unpredictable year in living memory would be daunting for some. Not for us, we are driven to bring Doodle You to as many children as possible, to develop more products which help kids to play, learn, and focus, and to make parents’ lives easier too!"
Find out more about Doodle You at https://www.doodleyou.uk/
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