When kids get bored with Play-Doh and want something more “amazing”, it's time to show them the kinetic sand and wow them. With a great storyline, you can even make them believe that an astronaut brought this awesome material just for them to play with! Instead of buying kinetic sand at the store, try making your own at home.
Ingredients
Using Sand and Starch
- 3 cups cornstarch
- 1 cup water
- 6 cups clean and fine sand
Using Flour and Baby Oil
- 9 cups flour
- 1 cups baby oil
Using Starch and Vegetable Oil
- 4 cups cornstarch
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
All recipes can be mixed with powder paint, food coloring, fragrance or glitter.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Using Sand and Starch
Step 1. Pour 1 of water into a large bowl
Do not use bowls made of porcelain. It's best to use a regular large plastic bowl that's easy to clean.
- If you want colored kinetic sand, try adding a few drops of liquid food coloring or watercolor.
- To make kinetic sand glow in the dark, try adding a few drops of glow-in-the-dark paint to the water.
- To smell the kinetic sand, try adding a few drops of lemon or vanilla extract. You can also add spices to the sand in the next step.
Step 2. Add 3 cups of starch in the water
After that, stir well to remove the lumps. Starch flour has an easy-to-clump texture.
Step 3. Consider adding dye, fragrance, or glitter to the sand
You can buy colored sand or plain sand. The price of colored sand is indeed more expensive. On the other hand, plain sand allows you to be creative. If you only have plain sand, but want to make multi-colored sand, separate the sand into small containers and add the dye separately. Here are some ways that you can use to beautify plain sand:
- Add a few teaspoons of glitter powder to the sand to make it sparkle.
- Add a few tablespoons of tempera paint powder, watercolor powder, or chalk powder to color the sand. However, if the water in the dough is already colored, you don't need to add any more dye. Keep in mind that powdered tempera paint will give a lighter color.
- To add aroma and color to kinetic sand, try adding a few teaspoons of instant drink powder (eg Marimas).
- To smell the kinetic sand, try adding a pinch of powdered extract such as apple pie extract, pumpkin pie, spices like cinnamon powder, cocoa, or vanilla sugar.
Step 4. Pour in the sand
At this stage, the dough must be stirred so that all the ingredients are evenly mixed. Keep stirring!
- Try to buy clean sand from a home improvement store or arts and crafts store. Sand from the beach or playground is not always completely clean.
- If you haven't added dye to the sand, consider buying sand that is already colored. You can find sand like this on the art supply rack for children or the flower shelf at an arts and crafts store.
Step 5. Take time to play
While making kinetic sand is a lot of fun, make time for your child to play too! And when you want to play it again, you can add 2-3 tablespoons of water to the dough.
When finished, wrap the dough in a closed and airtight container. Store in a cool and dry place to maximize shelf life. Can be stored and used for 2-3 months
Method 2 of 3: Using Flour and Baby Oil
Step 1. Pour the flour into a large bowl
If you want to make multi-colored sand, divide the flour into a separate bowl. The number of bowls you need will depend on how many colors you want. The advantage of using flour and baby oil is that the results are clean and light, and don't resemble sand too much.
Step 2. Pour the powdered coloring, fragrance, or glitter into the flour
Mixing dry ingredients with other dry ingredients will be easier to do than adding wet ingredients. If you want to add color, fragrance, or glitter, do so now. Make sure to mix it with the flour until smooth. Here are some powders you can add to the flour at this step:
- Add a tablespoon or two of tempera paint powder, watercolor powder, or chalk powder if you just want to make colored sand. If you're using oil-based food coloring, don't add it now.
- Add a little instant drink mix, such as Marimas to add aroma and color to the sand.
- Add a few tablespoons of glitter powder to make the sand look more attractive.
- Add a pinch of spices or a mixture or extract such as pumpkin pie, apple pie, vanilla sugar, cocoa powder, or cinnamon powder if you want to scent the sand.
Step 3. Add oil-based coloring and fragrance to baby oil and mix well
Water and oil do not mix. So, food coloring or liquid coloring will not be mixed. If you don't have powdered paint or spices, you can still add flavor and color to the sand by adding the following options:
- To color kinetic sand without powder, try using an oil-based food coloring or an oil-based candy coloring.
- To add flavor to kinetic sand without spices, add a few drops of essential oil or flavoring extract (such as vanilla or strawberry).
Step 4. Pour the baby oil into the flour
Once the dye is mixed in (or not, if you want to make plain sand), pour in 1 1/4 cups of baby oil. Even if it gets dirty, stirring it directly by hand may be easier for you. Or, let the kids do this step!
Step 5. Mix and play
After all the ingredients have been added – coloring, fragrance, and glitter powder – stir everything until evenly distributed and play. What will be your first work? A giant octopus? A castle? Or even the moon?
If you are making this sand with children, make sure nothing gets into their mouths. Baby oil and flour are harmless but paint or chalk in the mixture is dangerous
Step 6. Store in an airtight container
Kinetic sand can keep for up to a month or two, but you may want to make it again before the first batch of dough breaks. Before that, store this dough in an airtight container in a cool and dry place, such as a food storage area or in a children's toy box.
When you want to play it again, refresh the sand by adding a tablespoon of water. The sand will come back fresh and like new
Method 3 of 3: Using Starch and Vegetable Oil
Step 1. Pour 4 cups of starch into a large bowl
If you can't find starch, try using cornstarch instead. If you don't add dye, the resulting sand will be white, it may even look like snow!
If you want to make sand of different colors and flavors, divide the flour into separate bowls
Step 2. Add powdered coloring, fragrance, or glitter to the flour, if desired
Mixing dry ingredients with other dry ingredients will be easier to do. If you have powdered coloring, fragrance, or glitter you'd like to add to the sand, pour it now into the flour. There are several ways you can use to beautify your sand:
- Add a few teaspoons of glitter powder to make the sand sparkle. If you want to make the sand white, try adding some transparent white glitter powder.
- Add a few tablespoons of tempera paint powder, watercolor powder, or chalk powder to add color to the sand.
- Add a packet of instant drink powder like Marimas to add aroma and color to the sand.
- Sprinkle some flavoring extracts like apple pie extract, pumpkin pie, or spices like cinnamon powder, cocoa, or vanilla sugar to scent the grits.
- If you want to add essential oils or oil-based food coloring, do so in the next step.
Step 3. Add an oil-based dye or essential oil to the vegetable oil, if desired
You will need cup of vegetable oil. Since oil and water don't mix, you can't use water-based dyes. So whatever you add to the oil, it must also be oil based.
- If you can't find powdered coloring, but want to make colored sand, add a few drops of food coloring or oil-based candy coloring. Don't use regular food coloring because water and oil don't mix.
- If you can't find a suitable spice, but want to smell the sand, add a few drops of an essential oil or flavoring extract such as vanilla, almond, or orange extract.
Step 4. Pour the vegetable oil into the flour to make it look like snow
If some of the flour feels dry, add a tablespoon or two of vegetable oil to moisten it. However, if the flour feels too wet, add more flour to the dough.
The main advantage of this recipe is that the two ingredients used will make the sand look like snow. However, it is not cold, wet, and can turn black with use
Step 5. Mix well and start playing
Once everything is mixed, let your creativity flow. How is the color combination? How does it feel? Invite the children to participate in sensory games that are mostly done with kinetic sand.
Step 6. Store in an airtight container
Once the kids have tasted it (you too, of course), transfer the kinetic sand to a sealed, airtight container. Store in a cool place such as a cupboard, under a bed, or in a toy box.
When you want to play again (this sand can keep for several months, although making it again is quite cheap), refresh the sand with a few tablespoons of water. Stir the sand by hand to mix the water, and the sand will look like new right away
Tips
- If you don't have starch, try using cornstarch.
- You can buy oil-based candy coloring at a grocery store.
- Kinetic sand should be stored in an airtight container. However, the good thing is that this sand will not dry out under normal storage conditions.
- You can buy essential oils at health food stores and some craft stores.
- All of the above recipes can be added with paint powder, food coloring, fragrance, or glitter powder.
Warning
- This sand is not edible. Tell the children that the sweet smell does not make this sand edible.
- Also, teach children not to put sand around the face as it can irritate the nose and eyes.
