Kinetic Sand is a moldable, mess free and non toxic, easy to clean and addicting to play with material that’s great with kids and adults too who like to create and mold things using it.
You don’t have to go to the beach to make your own sand castles. And you don’t have to deal with the mess that regular sand does to you.
The kind that you buy from stores or online is coated with Silicon Oil. It is similar to regular sand except that regular sand is coated with water (like wet sand).
Kinetic Sand is coated in Silicon Oil because it enables the Kinetic Sand to never dry out, which is one feature which makes Kinetic Sand so popular.
You may ask, because Kinetic Sand is so appealing to children: is it dangerous? By itself, kinetic Sand is non toxic, but eating large amounts of it (just like anything else) could be dangerous. As such, small children shouldn’t be allowed to play by themselves with kinetic Sand because children of a tender age tend to put anything they could get their hands on into their mouth. The appealing properties of Kinetic Sand which makes it fun to touch and exciting to mold into different shapes makes it worthwhile to play with. But ingesting it will cause problems.
Kinetic Sand manufactured commercially is made of ultra fine grain sand mixed with dimethicone which is a type of silicon. Aside from ingesting, which could cause constipation, Kinetic Sand could also be a choking hazard. So don’t leave your children alone when in the midst of Kinetic Sand.
What happens when everybody is tired and the Kinetic Sand is left overnight?
Kinetic Sand is not like play doh which dries out when left overnight. Just store it in a zip block bag to keep it all together. Yes, it would be best not to leave it out, but if ever that happens, the next day, it would still be good as new and as moldable as ever. It does not dry out.
Are you ready to make your own Kinetic Sand at home? Here’s how.
Your components
- 1 cup of play sand (bought at Amazon)
- 1/2 tbsp corn starch
- 1 tsp dish soap
- 1 cup of water (add more if needed)
The Process
- Mix the play sand and the corn starch in a large container. Combine them well. Take your time.
- In a separate bin, mix 1 cup of water with 1 tsp of dish soap, then stir the mixture until it becomes bubbly. You can sense if the consistency and the texture is to your satisfaction, then you stop. Mix in more water, if you feel you need to, but pour slowly or the mixture will be diluted more than you want it to be. If this happens, add more play sand.
- The dish soap in this version of DIY Kinetic Sand is what gives it its kinetic quality. Just like the commercial versions, it is as fun to mold and form and squish into all sorts of funny shapes in your hands.
Get buckets, shovels and everything you need, as if you are on the beach. The kids will have lots of fun! You can join in too and create pleasant bonding memories!
Create sand castles, dig in and put in your toy soldiers and cowboys. Scatter also your cars and trucks and make believe!
For storage, place your homemade kinetic Sand into an airtight container after play time. This is advised if you don’t expect the kids to play with the Kinetic Sand until next weekend. But if they’re expected to play again tomorrow and also the day after that, leave it outside. It will not dry out.
From time to time, add touches of soapy water and mix well with the sand to restore it to your desired consistency and moldability.
DIY Kinetic Sand is a more affordable way to let your kids experience the joy and the convenience of this wonderful toy material. You could always add and purchase more play sand which is cheaper than buying commercial brands of Kinetic Sand. Plus it’s also a fun experience constructing your own Kinetic Sand! You can do it with the kids too!
