Q&A with John and Danita Thomas
Creators of Kid Concoctions
Q: Where did the
idea for Kid Concoctions come from?
John: From a stranger’s comment and my own
curiosity! I was selling a
do-it-yourself home decorating video at a trade show in 1990 when a chance
comment from a passerby got my attention.
She told me how, as a child, she mixed liquid starch and white school
glue together to make a Silly Putty-like material. Months later, while recovering from the flu,
I remembered her recipe and tried it. I
was amazed at the quality and started thinking, “What else can I do?” I scoured local toy stores for ideas and
couldn’t stop thinking about what else would work. It was just so much fun!
Q: How did you
and Danita form your business partnership?
John: I produced my first video with myself
as the host. I realized quickly that I had great products but a so-so presentation. (Laughs.) So it seemed I needed a new spokesperson –
the “perfect mom” – for this to really take off.
Danita: A friend introduced us. I was then a single mom of three. I loved arts and crafts and I loved working with children, so the video seemed to be the
perfect opportunity. I had no idea the
opportunity would last a lifetime!
Q: Fast forward
several years. How did you go from
business partners to marriage partners?
John: It was Danita’s daughter’s idea! Over those first years of working together,
Danita and I formed a great friendship based on mutual respect and a strong
working relationship. But it was nothing
more. In 1997, we were on a speaking
trip at Disney World to promote Kid Concoctions. As a single mom, Danita’s kids were always involved
in our business and the business travel.
As we zipped along the Disney monorail, 7-year-old Kali caught sight of
the wedding pavilion. She turned to me,
in front of her mom, and said, “I wish you would marry my mom and be my
dad.” Of course it was overwhelming, uncomfortable
and a bit embarrassing! But it started
something. Later that year Danita and I
had our first “date”—which we both said was absolutely not a date. (Laughs.) We got married in February 1999.
Marrying Danita and caring for the kids has been
one of the easiest and smoothest transitions I could have ever imagined. And we’ve even added another son to the Thomas
brood. We’re now parents to Kyle (19), Kellen (15), Kalie (17) and
Christian (5).
Q: So Kid
Concoctions became a family-affair?
John: Absolutely. In the early days, we used our garage as the
warehouse for our books. The entire
family would help to pack and ship orders, each one as they came in. The kids get their hands dirty in this
Concoction all the time!
Q&A
with the Thomases, page two
Danita: (Laughing) If
you call our office, don’t be surprised if one of the kids answers the phone!
Q: So why do you
believe Kid Concoctions have become so popular?
John: Parents want to spend quality time
with their children. Yet if both parents
work, there is only limited time available.
And even when there is time, parents need tools to help them connect
with the kids in fun, educational ways. I think that’s where Kid Concoctions has come
to the rescue. These are simple tools
for building memories with children—and building science, math and art skills
to boot!
Danita: I tell parents all the time, “Your kids
will never remember their high score on Super Mario, but they will remember the
time you made Gooey Gunk together!”
Q: What’s new
with Kid Concoctions?
John: We’re expanding the Kid Concoctions
product line to help develop life skills and increase children’s knowledge of
Biblical principles. The new book, Kid Concoctions of Biblical Proportions,
will release in early 2007 and use the same hands-on activities that
incorporate math, science and art skills, but there is a new element involved. Parents can use Kid Concoctions to reinforce
concepts such as sharing, judging others, knowing God’s love and learning the
fruits of the spirit. These concepts can
be abstract and a little harder to teach to young children, but Concoctions can
make these ideas tangible and memorable.
Q: Where did you
get the ideas for the Kid Concoctions?
Danita: Many of these projects came from a Sunday
School class I taught at church. When teaching a Bible lesson I would often
use one of the Concoctions to illustrate the point. The kids loved it! And the next week they would remember the
lesson. But those weeks when I didn’t
use a Concoction, their recall of the lesson was lower. It was clear that Concoctions increased the
children’s understanding of the lesson’s theme.
We hope parents and teachers see the same result every time they use a
Kid Concoction to teach a life concept.
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June 2006