All About Silicone Toys
What is Silicone?
Silicone is a safe alternative to traditional plastic and has grown in popularity over the last decade with the rise of eco-friendly toys. Silicones, scientifically known as siloxanes, are a mix between synthetic rubbers and plastic polymers. They can be used in different forms and can be used to make malleable rubber-like products, hard plastic resins, and thick fluids.
What actually makes up silicone? It gets a little tricky, but here's everything you need to know...
Silica
Silica, known as silicon dioxide, is the raw material that's used to produce silicone resins. The sand you find at the beach, for example, is pure silica. The same goes for quartz.
Silicon
Is the base component of silica, but silicon is not usually found naturally. This is because it's made by heating up silica in extremely hot temperatures with carbon in a furnace.
Silicone
Next comes actual silicone! Oxygen, carbon and hydrogen are bonded together into polymers to form the foundations of the final silicone resin. The quality of the silicone is dependent on the level of purification.
Why Silicone?
Silicones have similar features to plastic: they're flexible, malleable, and are water and temperature resistant. They can be softened, hardened, formed or shaped into anything. They also have stain-resistant and non-stick properties, so are easy to clean.
Silicone is robust, flexible, easy to clean, stain-resistant and is able to withstand extreme temperatures without breaking. Silicone comes from quartz sand and is the product of a chain of chemical reactions.
Not only that, but the byproducts of the silicone chemical process are kind to the environment. The durability of silicone toys gives them a long life span and they can be reused and played with time and time again.
Bigjigs Toys Eco-Friendly Silicone Toys
So, we've got some super exciting news over here at Bigjigs Toys HQ! We're launching our own range of silicone toys!
Silicone Frisbee
Send this eco flying disc zooming through the air! Our silicone flyer can be flexed, folded and rolled into pockets, beach bags and suitcases. Its lightweight bendy material is perfect for little hands to learn how to throw and catch. Shop now
Eco Spade
We 'dig this eco-friendly spade! Crafted from the waste of cultivated wheat, this colourful wheat fibre kids spade is a great alternative to plastic. You will even spot the natural wheat flecks amongst the bright colours! Shop now
Silicone Activity Bucket
Fragile plastic buckets are a thing of the past! Our activity silicone bucket can be collapsed, squashed and rolled back into shape without any creases. This means it can be packed into backpacks, beach bags and suitcases without any fuss! It can be used to carry seawater, sand, shells, flowers, vegetables and much more. Shop now
You can explore our full silicone beach toys range in 12 exciting shades here.
15 Ways To Use Your Silicone Bucket
Tick off your bucket list with our versatile Activity Bucket! We bet you didn't think that you could whizz up cake mix, practice your football skills, collect tennis balls and do apple bobbing with our bucket! Read up on the 15 ways to use your bucket.