Ashburton, New South Wales, Australia, 3147
Behind the Habitat Mat brand is me: Lucy, a Melbourne mum of two beautiful, high-octane, inquisitive, grotty little boys.
We had a growing collection of animal figurines, but we didn’t really have anywhere to play with them. Some wouldn’t stand properly on our textured carpet play mat, nor our springy foam one, which was endlessly frustrating.
My boys wanted small-world set-ups for their animals, but I didn’t have the time nor all the fancy small world pieces and sensory bases to make them (there’s only so many times they were happy with green split peas in a tray that I tried to pass for a grassy field…)
Their imaginations needed a springboard, and I needed a break from playing the role of ‘mummy polar bear’ in the wildly boring game of “mummy polar bear has lost her cubs”. The sturdy little polar bears did balance on our carpet play mat, which was really the only thing going for that particular game…
The Explorer Mat was one of our first two designs. I wanted it to be washable because, well, kids. And I wanted it to be the most vibrant, inviting thing in our playroom to invite independent play because this mama needed a break. And I wanted it to show as many different landscapes as possible to support learning about all of our toy animal figurines and their natural habitats. A habitat mat… Needless to say, with a name as catchy as that, it would be rude not to go straight into business!
And so we did.
Enlisting the wonderful creativity of artist Tatsiana Burgaud, our first two Habitat Mats – the Explorer and the Farmer – came to life. In February 2024 we used Kickstarter to successfully finance our first bulk production, which arrived in June 2024.
And the result? Well, I’m continually amazed at the way my boys play with the Explorer Mat. The storytelling and learning that happens when they play is something else. And I can happily report that instances of tea drunk while hot has increased 10-fold!
But it’s not just my house where this is happening. Habitat Mats are now in play rooms across the country, inspiring little adventurers and boosting imaginative, independent play.
