Our Story
Mitch and Ashley are a brother-sister duo who have brought two passions together--woodworking and sensory play--to create sensible, imaginative experiences for children and adolescents at affordable prices. Leika provides sensory kits, trays, and other sensory learning creations to ignite sensory play.
The co-creators grew up in Granville, North Dakota - a small town in north central ND.
It was there that Mitch inherited his love of woodworking from his grandparents who ran an antique store and furniture restoration business for many years. Ashley has always loved working with youth and finding creative ways to engage in the learning process. They both went into the field of education - Mitch is now a high school English teacher and Ashley is an elementary school counselor.
Ashley is married to Shawn (English teacher) and has two kids - Emery (6) and Sunden (3). Mitch is married to Jessie (school librarian) and has one dog named Cleo.
In the summers, they enjoy traveling together with their families.
It was on one of their family trips to Iceland to trace their family roots that truly sparked the magic of sensory play.
At the time, Ashley’s daughter, Emery, was 2.5 years old. They had long day-trips planned each day to experience all the wonders of Iceland. Each day the family was astounded by Emery’s pure joy and engagement in the experience. A new sensory experience awaited around every corner - the heavy black rocks from the black sand beach, the cool water and rushing sounds of waterfalls and rivers, the crunch of the glaciers beneath their feet, and the peaceful warm sensations of the hot springs.
It was a total sensory experience that kept her intrigued and playful.
Then in 2020 when the pandemic sent educators home to teach virtually, we had to circle back to find ways to keep kids intrigued and playful.
It was then that Ashley researched the benefits of sensory play and experimented with Emery and the now 1.5 year old Sunden each day with sensory learning and play. In order for Ashley and Shawn to focus on their new-found virtual obligations, they had to restructure what play looked like in their home. Sensory play built more independence and child-led play. It regulated their bodies and emotions and allowed them to have new experiences when the world was on pause (and in chaos) on the outside.
And now over the last year, Ashley and Mitch have experimented with all kinds of sensory materials and tools with learners in their schools and with Ashley’s kids and their friends.
This brings us to Leika Sensory Creations - our love of learning, youth, woodworking, and sensory play all coming together to invite a new kind of play experience for families to enjoy.
Leika is Scandinavian for ‘play’ - This business adventure holds meaning to our heritage in Iceland and the amazing sensory experience we had while traveling there with our family.