THE MASTIN FAMILY

Hi! I’m Amanda Mastin and as a mom to three little nuggets, (8, 3, 1.5), I find myself trying to find new ways to keep my children entertained on a daily basis! When the pandemic hit, we found ourselves getting cabin fever more often than not...and one day, while we were making home-made (toxic free) play-dough for the millionth time, my oldest said to me, “I really wish that we could do this for all kids! It’s so much fun!!”

Her words hit me like a ton of bricks. I thought, “Well, why couldn’t we?” As soon as this mama got a free minute (which, let’s be honest, is a very rare occasion), I hit the keyboard and started doing some digging into: “sensory play.”

Sensory Play has so many benefits. It helps to build nerve connections in the brain; encourages the development of motor skills; and also encourages 'scientific thinking' and problem solving. It also hits close to home for my family. My little brother was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome, or Asperger’s, when he was a toddler. While times have changed quite a bit since he was diagnosed in the 90s, I can be the first to attest that he would have benefited greatly from a Sensory activity. My brother is brilliant. He was, and still is always fixing something. He’s pretty much a self-taught computer engineer and car stereo guru. His inherent talent and focus is remarkable.

While there may be other bins on the market that look like ours -- I can assure you -- they’re totally different. Why? THE MASTIN Project was created to give back. Here’s our promise: for EVERY THREE Mastin Project bins SOLD, we will donate a bin to a children’s domestic abuse center.

SafeHaven is the domestic violence service provider in Tarrant County providing assistance to families healing from violent relationships. They have several children from infant to teen in their program and what an awesome way to give back to the community. We will continue to find any children’s service providers all over who need our help to raise awareness of something that happens among children way too often. We hope that THE MASTIN Project will help these kiddos regain confidence, discover creative expressions, find their voice -- all while building trust.

Not only has this been a super fun adventure for me and my kiddos (they help me with every bin!); at the end of the day, I want to show them that nothing is impossible. I want to be a role model for them and demonstrate that their ideas and choices matter in this life. We might be a family of five from Fort Worth, Texas, but that’s not stopping us from making a “BIG” difference -- and of course -- one step closer to changing the world.