Do your kids love moon sand? My kids definitely do! In addition to being good for sensory and tactile development, it is just good fun! For everyone who might not have come across it yet, it’s sand that is moldable. You can squish it into shapes using your hands or toys-kind of like perfect beach sand!
A few days ago one of my mom friends let me in on a little secret. You can make moon sand at home with just two cheap ingredients! It’s much less expensive than store-bought moon sand, it’s completely safe (it’s edible) and it’s really soft! We even put a few drops of essential oil in ours which made it smell so good.
Here is what we used:
- 6 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- A few drops essential oil (optional)
Just blend together adding the vegetable oil a little at a time, stopping when you like the consistency. We used the full cup.
Mix and add a few drops of essential oils if you would like. You should be ready to go!
The kids had a lot of fun with our kitchen toys. The play “sand” was great for making ice cream. Next time I think we will get the dump trucks out and make an excavation site!
Why is sensory play so important? Kids are drawn towards sensory experiences. That is the way they learn about their environment. Babies and toddlers constantly put things in their mouths-I know mine did! This stimulates senses and allows them to be able to identify objects in the future, differentiating between different attributes-temperature, texture, color, taste and more. Playing with things like moon sand, play doh, water, etc. also allows them to build fine motor skills too!
shelly peterson says
Thanks for sharing this, my grandson will have so much fun with this.
Katie Harding says
Fun! I love that this moon sand uses household ingredients so I can easily whip up a batch of this for the boys this weekend, thanks for sharing!
Elizabeth Ferree says
See now this is what I’m talking about (making lemonade and helping me save money). I’m going to have to try this with my younger three, I know they are always wanting the moon sand or even playdough. Eeek. I love that it only really needs items you already have in your kitchen. Can’t wait to try this over the weekend with the kids.
Emily says
Sounds like fun! Add a little peace & calming oil in and you will have pretty focused and relaxed kids!!
Crystal says
We had a water table for the kiddos when they were little, but this would be way more fun. I wonder how my big kids would feel about it. They’d probably love it.
Mandi says
We are going to have to make this one weekend before it gets too cold! I love playing with stuff like this and molding, squeezing, and just feeling it out.
Elena says
what a cool idea! thanks for sharing
Wendy says
That’s so much fun! How long will it keep? I know my little niece would love to play with this sand!
valmg @ Mom Knows It All says
We’re on the shore and have sand and sandy dirt. I don’t think we’ve ever gotten moon sand.
Sarah L says
My niece loved anything to do with water including swimming in it.
Valerie Remy-Milora says
My girls love to play with clay and make all sorts of intricate sculptures… and at Christmas time we make fun creatures out of marzipan for our “Buche de Noel”.
Kathleen says
We need to make some of this this weekend. My oldest of all people, who is 14, was begging for some of this when we were in Michael’s the other day.
Kecia says
My boys haven’t played with moon sand, but the oldest really likes Play-Doh. I need to give this recipe a try!
Lisa says
I’m going to haev to try this!
Jennifer @ Mom Spotted says
Thanks for sharing! I totally want to make this for Sawyer one day! Your kids look like they had a blast playing with it! I can’t believe how big the girls are getting!
Tiff @ Babes and Kids says
i’ve made play-doh before but never moon sand. It’s amazing how kids can spend hours playing with projects like these.
Shelby says
Love! Such an awesome idea!
Tracy H says
Fun!!!
Thank you!
🙂
Rosie says
That is a cute idea – I was so curious to know what moon sand is made of !!!
kirsten says
This is so awesome! We will definitely be doing this!
Laurie Nykaza says
The kids would enjoy making this moon sand so much. It looks like such a fun project the whole family could do together and play with it too.
DJ says
Very cool! This looks like so much fun!
Megan M Thalmann says
Does anyone know if I can use another type of flour instead? My daughter has celiac disease so regular flour won’t work.