• Early Childhood Development Through Play!
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SENSORY PLAYDATES

Playdates are the best - for littles and for parents. And what if we told you that we could make them even more fun! We know, crazy right.

Introducing Sensory Playdates - where you can hire Stacey, our Founder and a sensory teacher, to come to your next playdate to set up a few fun sensory activities for your littles. We engage in one main sensory activity - slime making, playdough making, salt jar making, cloud dough making, kinetic sand making, jewelry making, etc. and we bring over some fun sensory goodies to play with as well. And all the while, you all can enjoy grown up company and maybe indulge in a social drink or two.

We love building community and bringing educational sensory fun to little ones. Thank you for including us in your next playdate. We don’t know who is going to have more fun, them or us 😉

  • Slime Making
  • Playdough Making
  • Kinetic Sand Making
  • Cloud Dough Making
  • Ispy Bottle Making
  • Playdough Stations
  • Craft Stations
  • Water Activities
  • "Washing Stations" With "Mud"
  • Sink Cleaning Stations
  • Slide and Ball Pit
  • Slide and Block Pit
  • Block Wall Collapse
  • Pasta Play
  • Taste Safe Activities
  • Jewelry Making
  • And SO Much More
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FAqS

Meet Sunshine​

Hi! I’m Sunshine and I’m 8 years old. I love adventures, especially traveling adventures, which is perfect because our family travels A LOT. It’s so fun meeting new friends around the world and learning about different places and cultures. I hope you’ll join us.

Meet Boomer

Hi! I’m Boomer and I’m 6 years old. I love adventures too. My favorite part of traveling is trying all of the fun foods, especially the crazy weird ones that my friends at home haven’t heard of. The grosser, the better. See you at our next adventure!

Download Sunshine & Boomer for Free

Download your own Sunshine and Boomer for free! Cut them out, color them, and take pictures of them on your adventures.

Be sure to share your photos with us by tagging @ourfriendsafar on Instagram and using the hashtag #ourfriendsafar for a chance to be featured on our social networking platforms!

DOWNLOAD NOW

Download Sunshine & Boomer for Free

Download your own Sunshine and Boomer for free! Cut them out, color them, and take pictures of them on your adventures.

Be sure to share your photos with us by tagging @ourfriendsafar on Instagram and using the hashtag #ourfriendsafar for a chance to be featured on our social networking platforms!

DOWNLOAD NOW

Some of our International Friends Afar

This is Kimsan and Youthea,
some of our friends from
Phnom Penh, Cambodia

This is Sara and Isaac,
some of our friends from
Mexico City, Mexico

Stacey

founder of Our Friends Afar

About Stacey

My name is Stacey and I’m the founder of Our Friends Afar. I’ve always seen the world through kid’s eyes. I’m not sure why. I seem to have a great connection with little ones. I have a passion for teaching kiddos through play and sensory play is my absolute favorite method of doing so. I love watching little ones thrive after they’ve been exposed to a new activity. I strive to foster kindness, compassion, empathy, diversity, and inclusion through our offerings. My style is open-ended and non-structured. Playing it safe is too boring and limiting in my opinion! I hope to build a community for families, both kiddos and parents, to meet others and create lasting friendships.

I spent my early years in Dallas. After high school, I went to college in Denver and graduate school in Arizona. I have an MBA in international business. Strange how I ended up in education, I know! After graduate school, I spent about four years living in Asia and traveling the world. It was an absolutely blast, an eye-opener, and definitely an experience that changed my life for the better. Now I am back in Dallas hoping to expand little one’s world views as well! 

I am so excited to connect with all of you. Thank you for visiting our magical community. 

Most Warmly,

Stacey

See What Others Are Saying

I’m so glad you came up with this idea… My son is definitely loving it… It’s been over an hour and he hasn’t even wanted to get up yet, which is unusual for him to be focused on one thing that long, so this is awesome! 😀🙌.
HollieMOM TO 2 YEAR OLD
Hollie
My 4 year old granddaughter and I do a creativity kit together each month. These kits definitely keep her occupied during these COVID times. She's gotten really into arts and crafts. I love that these kits teach her about diversity and different cultures. She loved mailing her first postcard and walking to the mailbox. It's nice creating these memories together.
BarbGrandma to 4 year old and 2 year old
Barb
Claire's attention span is usually only 10 minutes, max. We played with the Junior Creativity Kit for over 30 minutes. I actually had to stop us because it was lunch time. I love the exposure she's getting, even if she's too young to truly comprehend the diversity aspects.
LaurenMom to 2 year old
Lauren
My kids loved playing with the Our Friends Afar Creativity Kits. Even though they are meant for kids aged 4 to 8, my eight year old and two year old enjoyed it together. Of course, they played differently, but it was so sweet to see my eldest helping his little sister explore. I think the diverse topics Stacey addresses are so important. I love exposing my kids to these subjects. Our family also really enjoyed the Meal Matters cards. Those were so fun!
MichelleMom to 4 year old and 8 year old
Michelle
I am the mother of a 14 year-old special needs son. I purchased a creativity kit specifically tailored to my son's abilities and his interests. He loves to cut, glue, color, and "design" with paper, glitter, and anything crafty! Stacey put together customized (fun!) art supplies and my son and I had a great time learning about colors, shapes, textures, making pictures and designs that were educational and motivational for him. We made several artistic collages and hung his art in his bedroom, which he loves! Overall this is a great experience for my son, and as a former teacher, these art kits are wonderful as they inspire creativity and confidence. Thank you, Stacey, for bringing more smiles and excitement into Daniel's world.
RaeMom to 14 year old with special needs
Rae
I feel like there's a shift going on where parents and schools want to show similarities across cultures. Our Friends Afar is a perfect fit for this!
KaitlynFormer Teacher 2nd grade
Kaitlyn
We can't say enough how much we love Our Friends Afar and their product offerings. I feel so good about sharing these concepts with my daughter. I want her to be open and curious about the world and Our Friends Afar is a great fit for us.
Allymom to 4 and 3 year old
Ally
I purchased matching "I'm Cultured" shirts for my baby daughter and her cousin. The t-shirts are so cute. I love that my purchase supports a great cause too. I am not sure if Stacey advertised this or not, but 10% of her profits go to the non-profit, RAICES, which helps underserved immigrants and refugees in Texas. I love that!Jon, uncle of 8 and 5 year old - Our family loved the Meal Matters. I got these for my nephew who's 7 and they really sparked his interest. He especially loved getting to pick the cards.
Courtneymom to 1 year old
Courtney
Our Friends Afar is great! My daughter now knows how to bow, just like they do in Cambodia! She likes to do the kits her way, but that's okay with me because I just want her to get exposure to these concepts.
Anniemom to 4 and 2 year old
All of my kids are big fans of Our Friends Afar, especially my kindergarten age son. He loved the fun facts. I liked seeing his brain digesting the information - he would ask me questions about the kits hours and even days after.
Rebeccamom to 6, 4, and 3 year old
Rebecca
My daughter and I did the Travel Kit together. She thoroughly enjoyed it it! In fact, any time I ask her about it, she says, "I loved it!' She especially liked the two characters, Sunshine and Boomer, and all of the goodies she got with the first kit. We can't wait to try month two.
Ashleymom to 4 and 2 year old
Ashley
I love how Our Friends Afar uses real pictures to show glimpses into other countries and their cultures. I feel like it makes the concepts more real.
Sarahmom to 4 and 2 year old
I can't say enough about how much I love Our Friends Afar. I bought gifts from here for all of my friends with kids this year. I think what Stacey is doing is super important and I can't wait for my kids to be able to participate one day. I also love the OFA Instagram. I have learned so many interesting things about the world! I look forward to a new post each day.
Kelly
Kelly
Stacey's tidbits about the world are so great! I teach 6th grade world cultures and share so many of her fun facts with my students.
Stephanieteacher 6th grade
Stephanie
I love Our Friend's Afar's shirts! I bought some for my friend with little kids. It was nice to get them something meaningful that has a good message AND gives back! When the package arrived, the 5 year old did not know what diversity meant so it gave her parents a chance to explain the word and concept to their daughter. It makes me happy that I got to be a small part of that. I'm so excited to see what new products Our Friends Afar comes up with.
Jen
Jen
I got the I'm Cultured shirt as a gift for a friend. She loved it. So funny! I can't wait until my newborn is bigger so she can wear one too.
DarylMom to Newborn
Daryl

See What Others Are Saying

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