Moon sand is one of our favorite sensory recipes to play with and make! I bet you have most of the ingredients you already need at home! We could also call this space sand as we added a fun space theme to our play below. Read on to find out how to make moon sand to add to your sensory bin.
HOW TO MAKE MOON SAND
WHAT IS MOON SAND?
Moon sand is an unique but simple mixture of sand, cornstarch, and water. It can be packed together to make great sand castles, formed into mounds and mountains and molded. It stays moist while you play with it and doesn’t harden like clay!
MOON SAND VS KINETIC SAND
If you are wondering whether moon sand and kinetic sand are the same thing, no they are made from different ingredients. But both start with sand as the main ingredient and make for moldable, tactile fun.
CHECK OUT: Kinetic Sand Recipe
SENSORY PLAY WITH MOON SAND
For our space theme moon sand below I chose to use a package of black-colored sand instead of regular white play sand. If you are like me and have a reluctant mess maker, do the mixing yourself!
I have learned it is best to prepare the dough or sand beforehand and then let my son experiment with playing in it at his own pace. It is less intense that way and the messiness doesn’t turn him off before he even has a chance to play.
I even resist washing my hands during play now (less pictures were taken) to encourage him and model for him that it is okay to get your hands dirty. I had this ready for when he got home for school as an invitation to play and get messy.
Also check out this fun space sensory bin we set up with aquarium rocks!
SPACE THEME MOON SAND
I added some of his Imaginext space people, tinfoil “meteors” and glow in the dark stars. I also added some silver glitter to our container of homemade moon sand.
He, of course, rushed downstairs to get more spacemen. I guess one wasn’t enough! He really loved the space theme and pretended the meteors were coming in to land and the stars were falling.
He started out using the spoon I provided to help his play. I showed him he could pack little castles and enjoyed dumping them on the men and covering them, making a mound. All the men got “stuck” and needed rescuing before the next meteor hit! Then he got messy!
My favorite part is watching him test his boundaries and squish into the moon-sand mixture. Once this happens, I know he is coming to an end and will be ready to wash his hands, but I am so glad that he takes the time to feel it, even if it is just a couple of minutes!
Click here to get your FREE Printable Space Activities Pack
MOON SAND RECIPE
You may want to play with the ratios a bit, and also, using regular sandbox sand is just fine! Moon sand is so much fun to make at home. We also made another fun version with sand and oil here.
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 cups of sand
- 1 cup of cornstarch (all I had)
- 1/4 cup of water or oil
HOW TO MAKE MOON SAND
STEP 1. Add all the ingredients to a large container and mix well.
STEP 2. Add some cups and spoons to use for play or set up a fun space theme sensory bin like we did below.
Learn more about sensory bins!
MORE FUN PLAY RECIPES TO TRY
We had fun playing with homemade moon sand; check out these fun sensory play ideas…
Make DIY moon sand for hands-on sensory fun!
Click on the image below or on the link for more fun sensory play ideas for kids.
Love all the little special touches you did to make this a cool space theme!
This is so beautiful and fun! It looks so inviting, I want to go play with it 🙂 Pinned!
Looks like fun! I love the stars and space men with the moon sand!
My sons would love this, great idea!
Oh, how fun!! We have seen moon sand at stores but have not tried it yet. I didn’t know it was so easy to make. Thank you for sharing at Sharing Saturday!!
So much fun!! I am pinning this for later. Thanks!
Can you use actual sand and not store bought sand and mix it with black food coloring and the other ingredients?
It’s going to be super messy! I wouldn’t recommend it and just stick with uncolored sand!