Homemade Moon Sand

Last fall, I read about making your own Moon Sand-like dough on The Imagination Tree. It sounded interesting, but I thought it seemed more suitable to summer time, so I waited until this week to make it with Baby Bear. All it takes is flour and oil. I imagine most kinds of oil would work, but I chose vegetable oil just in case Baby Bear wanted a taste test. I think it was the word sand that kept him from tasting, so next time we will try using baby oil in hopes that it won't make my kitchen smell deep-fried.

Baby Bear had just picked out a new shovel and pail during our morning shopping excursion, so I made the moon sand in the pail. It would probably be great in a sensory box, but I try to only use items that I find on sale in sensory boxes so it doesn't seem so wasteful. I did not measure the flour or oil, but I started by pouring in the half bag of flour I had left. I then added the oil a couple of tablespoons at a time until the flour was the right consistency. When the moon sand is the right consistency, it will behave like wet sand: moldable, yet fragile. I could shape a ball for my son to hold, but when he applied pressure, the ball crumbled.

Baby Bear loved his homemade moon sand! I laid out a beach towel (life-saver!), set the shovel and pail on the towel, and threw in a small container of shells Papa Bear and I gathered before we moved away from the coast. It was like having the beach in our kitchen! Baby Bear had fun hunting for the shells in the sand. His favorite part seemed to be the consistency of the sand because it was like both sand and dough at the same time. We will definitely be making this again!