Working in a daycare with a room full of rambunctious preschoolers has it challenges. Trying to keep them engaged and learning with fun open ended materials is something I am always focusing on. Lots of blogs share many great ideas and I was lucky enough to find this recipe for DIY MOON SAND over at Nifty Mom.
The recipe for moon sand is so easy and the cost is nominal compared to purchasing commercial moon sand. You only need 2 ingredients, white flour and baby oil. Not only was the Moon Sand low cost and easy to make, it smelled great, too. The daycare kiddos love anything they can get their hands on and touch. Moon Sand is a perfect sensory activity. You can squeeze it, mold it, smash it, build in it, use it to hide treasures and so much more.
I used a 5 lb bag of flour to one 20 oz bottle of baby oil and I really liked that consistency. I used disposable gloves and mixed until everything was blended. As soon as it was all mixed the kiddos dug in, literally. They were thrilled with the Moon Sand and I was glad to be able to offer it to them with this easy low cost recipe!
Do you make anything at home for your preschool age kiddos? I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas!
Michele Brosius
@just2sisters2
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Malinda says
I am planning on doing a Space lesson in our class and I was just wondering how long did this mix hold up or did you keep it in your sensory table?
Hi Malinda
I had it in the sensory table for almost 2 weeks and another teacher let the kiddos add water to the sand and that ruined it. So, I can’t say for sure how long it would have lasted. We switched to colored sand for summer, so haven’t made a new batch yet.
Good luck!
Thanks for stopping by!
Michele
AprilRain78 says
I’m thinking about making some for my soon-to-be 2 year old……just in case though, is it edible ?? or does the baby oil ingredients make it a just-not-ready tool for toddlers?
I don’t think I would consider this edible. We used it for kiddos age 3 & up. You may want to make a more edible sensory item like edible playdough or pudding to use just in case. Thanks
Can I use vegetable oil instead of baby oil? For one thing, that would make it edible for the littler ones, and I have veg oil on hand at school and keep forgetting to buy baby oil.
Veggie oil may go rancid? I am not sure. I would make a small amount and see how it works. Good luck