DIY Moon Sand

July 15, 2009 · 47 Comments

A few ingredients and you can make your own “Moon Sand.”

Mix 9 Cups of play sand (this is really fine sand I found at Wal-Mart).

Next add 3 cups of cornstarch.

Then add 2 1/2 Cups water. Start with 2 1/4 cups and continue adding the water until you have the desired consistency.

Mix well

You can experiment with the ingredients until you get it exactly how you like it. Be careful though, it is very easy to get sandy ooblec k! When finished playing, cover and store. Next time you play add a few tablespoons of water if it needs to be moistened.

It isn’t exactly the perfect moon sand but it is close (much cheaper and even the real Moon Sand did not meet my kids expectations) and my kids had a great time!

Please notice I have a new button in the left sidebar, “Yes, You Can Make It.” If you have something you would like to know how to make please fill out the form and hit go!

Updating...

47 Responses to “DIY Moon Sand”

#1 adrienne July 15, 2009, 7:21 am

this looks wonderful!!! i teach preschool and will save this one for sure!
#2 AutumH July 15, 2009, 8:11 am

That is awesome. I will definitely be doing this with my kids. THanks you so much for the recipe!
#3 Kate July 15, 2009, 8:23 am

What a great idea! My daughter would love this. I’ll have to give it a try! Thanks!
#4 Heather - Dollar Store Crafts July 15, 2009, 9:14 am

Awesome! I didn’t know about the play sand!
#5 Caroline July 15, 2009, 9:26 am

Very cool, and very timely too! Did you know that this upcoming Monday 7/20 is the 40th anniversary of Neil Armstrong landing on the moon? I’m making “moon pies” to celebrate, but will now have to make up a batch of moon-sand!! Thanks a bunch!!
#6 Lindsay July 15, 2009, 10:31 am

very awesome!
#7 Clemencia July 15, 2009, 10:32 am

thank you soooo much! I love this and the color is awesome!
#8 Crafty Mom July 15, 2009, 10:35 am

Totally cool, we’ve never played with real moon sand, but this looks like a lo t of fun. We’ll have to try it! Thanks for sharing!
#9 Charity Treat July 15, 2009, 10:55 am

Thanks so much! This looks fun, my daughter is always wanting me to buy this for her. We homeschool, so this looks like a fun project to try. One question, does it try up after time? How long does it typically keep?

Thanks again for another great tute!
#10 Kim Kihega July 15, 2009, 1:45 pm

Cool! I have got to try this!
#11 Aimee July 15, 2009, 4:29 pm

That’s a great idea…we are celebrating 7/20, Neil Armstrong landing on the moon and this will be great. I saw this recipe on a money saver site and it looked fun, glad to see someone that has actually tried it. Keep up the good work.
#12 Beverly July 15, 2009, 4:49 pm

thank you. we will be trying this out
#13 Donna July 15, 2009, 7:42 pm

Loved this recipe to do with my 5 grand children and I am going to try it for an activity and hand exercise for my elderly residents at my rest home. I am the activity director. thank you
#14 More Than A Mom July 16, 2009, 11:33 am

I think I like your idea of a container best of all! We have some of the moon sand and have no idea how to drag it out without having the kids take it from one end of the house to the other (or dumping it all).
#15 Sharon July 16, 2009, 3:21 pm

NIIIIIIIICE!!!!!!!!! My kids go through this stuff like crazy. Thanks so much!
#16 sam July 16, 2009, 3:23 pm

This DIY project looks like tons of fun! Before this post I had no idea anyone could make this.
#17 Rita Neve July 17, 2009, 6:14 am

Love this! We spend a lot of $$ on moon sand for the preschool and I have grandkids who love the stuff. They will love the experience of making it too.WOW
#18 Melany July 17, 2009, 9:07 am

I told you on Twitter that I loved this idea. And then we tried it! My 5 year old son loves it! The only issues – I was being so frugal that 1) we used sandbox sand…too grainy and 2) I let them put food coloring in to make it pretty. ha!! My son’s hands were bright green for two days!

Seriously – thanks for a fun project!
#19 lisa July 17, 2009, 12:10 pm

I have tried making my own moonsand in the past. After storing it for a couple of weeks, it was covered in mold. We may not have played with it enough and let it air out, but it was really gross. Just an FYI.
#20 Teaching My Little Bookworm July 18, 2009, 4:57 pm

I posted this last summer on my teaching blog it was alot of fun! and much cheaper! plus you can revivie it wil some water!
#21 links for 2009-07-17 | DodaPedia July 18, 2009, 10:38 pm

[...] DIY Moon Sand « Skip To My Lou Corn starch seems to be an ingredient in all the fun crafts! [...]
#22 Karin Katherine July 19, 2009, 6:57 pm

That is so neat! I am saving that for the recipe files for sure. My kids love moon sand. But it is expensive for the amount of sand you need.
#23 Homemand moonsand recipe « Our Little Nature Nest July 22, 2009, 4:07 pm

[...] 22, 2009 Skip to My Lou (one of my faves) has posted how to make homemade moonsand. You may have seen it before. It is a sculptable sand that comes in different colors. My daughter [...]
#24 How To: Homemade Moon Sand « Realized Hopes July 22, 2009, 7:41 pm

[...] need 9 cups of extra fine play sand. Cindy of Skip To My Lou used colored play sand from Crayola. Next add 3 cups of corn starch and pour in 2 1/2 cups water. [...]
#25 Summer Weekend Fun! July 24, 2009, 4:48 am

[...] Skip to my Lou shows you how to make this cool DIY Moon Sand! [...]
#26 ara133photography July 26, 2009, 1:14 pm

Okay, yours is a seriously awesome blog! I’m so glad I found it this afternoon (was doing a search on why my amish friendship bread starter doesn’t freeze solid!)!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am definitely going to try making gak and oobleck Is there a way to make gak using non animal-based glue do you know? I’ll have to check that out!! I don’t have kids but I’m sure my husband and I will be fascinated by this stuff anyway Great tote tutorial too!!!
#27 Škrabalica » Pesak sa meseca August 1, 2009, 4:01 am

[...] Na internetu ima puno recepata i svi su skoro identični. Ja sam ga pravila po upustvu sa Skip to my lou bloga, u mnogo manjoj količini: Potrebni sastojci su: – 9 šolja peska – 3 šolje gustina – 2,5 [...]
#28 Jen August 7, 2009, 9:30 pm

My kids are so going to LOVE this!
#29 Crafty Monday: Make Your Own Sidewalk Chalk « August 10, 2009, 7:03 am

[...] feeling extra crafty, you can also make your own moon sand (pssst: sand + cornstarch + water); here’s the How-To for that from Skip to My Lou, with some very cute [...]
#30 Janet Doherty August 10, 2009, 3:35 pm

I love it when you can make it yourself. I came to dislike moon sand when it was impossible to clean off my table…its stayed there forever. I look forward to trying this one tomorrow…my kids will love it…outside
Janet
#31 Moon Sand — Learning Vicariously October 2, 2009, 2:04 pm

[...] here’s the activity from the blog’s current header picture. I found the idea on Skip to my Lou. We used Crayola play sand we already had and I only wanted to use a portion of it for this [...]
#32 DIY Moon Sand « Dollar Saving Mom November 21, 2009, 8:49 pm

[...] moms anyway. I personally love the stuff, it keeps the boys entertained for awhile. Check out this cool site that teaches you how to make Moonsand for yourself! Makes moon sand a little more enticing now doesn’t it? [...]
#33 What to THEY Use March 7, 2010, 1:43 am

So while this looks like a fun project, I don’t think its much like “the real moon sand”. On their website, it says that if you get water in it, to let it “dry out” on a paper towel and that after drying, moisture will return to it.

Also above, someone said that when they returned to play with it, it was covered with mold! Thinking about this, it’s no wonder. They actually use a corn-starch like substance for petri dishes!

If you make the above, consider it disposable, throw away after a few days. It reminds me of the huge batches of “play dough” my mom made me as a kid. Fun in bulk, but didn’t last long.

Anyone have any idea on how they really make it?
#34 Amy April 18, 2010, 2:06 pm

This is such a great idea and my kids LOVED it. We made blue and it turned out perfect.
#35 Becky July 12, 2010, 6:32 am

Thank you so much for the idea!!! I’m definitely going to use it with my daycare kids!!!!
#36 101+ Kids Outdoor Activities, Outdoor Crafts & Outdoor Games | Fantasy Jr. July 21, 2010, 1:48 pm

[...] DIY Moon Sand [...]
#37 Rachel August 3, 2010, 5:49 pm

Ugh! We were so excited to do this, and perhaps rushed a bit. Our sand was VERY moist from the store (same sand you used) and it was VERY humid out… so we have a watery, sloppy mess. I’ll have to wait to evaporate some of the water off. Thanks for the recipe though! Hope we can save ours.
#38 AmyK April 16, 2011, 3:52 pm

Just tried this out with my kids. It was enjoyed but I discovered a fun error. Seems I added to much water and we ended up with “Alien Goo”…we use the green Crayola sand. The consistency was very odd, almost like Goop. Try it if you dare.
#39 Saturday Steals- August 13 « My Crazy Life August 13, 2011, 2:21 pm

[...] spend a lot of money? Then make your own Moon Sand! How fun and cost-effective! Head on over to Skip to My Lou for the directions! You can also find directions over on Z [...]
#40 Jen August 22, 2011, 3:17 pm

I think my recipe is a bit cheaper and you probably have everything in your kitchen. I made it a few years ago and just recently threw it away when it got wet. If you keep it on an air tight container it will save for a long time.
Jen’s MOON SAND RECIPE
3 cups a/p flour
1/2 cup vegetable oil
food coloring
Mix food color with oil first making it much darker than you want it to end up. In large bowel, combine oil and flour; mix thoroughly with your hands. If it’s to dry add 1 or 2T more oil (you can use this as a chance to add more color if needed. Keep it away from carpet and water and store it in an air tight container.
? Kool-Aid for coloring and scent (haven’t tried this suggestion yet)
#41 Our Family Summer To Do List for Toddlers September 15, 2011, 4:31 pm

[...] moon sand [...]
#42 T September 29, 2011, 8:20 pm

Does the water have to be a specific temperature?
#43 pooksville holiday gift guide: ideas for a handmade christmas! « last train to pooksville December 11, 2011, 10:15 pm

[...] here’s a great explanation of how to make moon sand with just 3 simple ingredients. if your kids have never played with moon sand, DO THIS! it’s [...]
#44 Caroline King March 22, 2012, 10:27 am

I made this recipe for my preschool classroom and while it works amazing, it stinks !!! Any one have the same problem ?? Help!!!!
#45 Jackie April 30, 2012, 3:12 pm

Made this to use with children I work with at the local elementary school. Maybe I did something wrong, but it didn’t turn out good. When we made it, it was a perfect consistency, but every time I opened the container, there was liquid standing on top of the sand and the sand was drier than it needed to be. We would have to mix it up really well. Whenever we did play with it our hands were left with a white residue (I assume from the corn starch.) But, we were outside on the playground, so we couldn’t wait to get inside and wash our hands. Maybe I will try again sometime.
#46 MzBaker May 17, 2012, 3:53 am

Ohhh this is AWESOME!!! My son always wants them things from tv that I’m afraid to buy due to you never know what chemicals are in them. I love this play sand, corn starch and water!! you cannot beat that by any means! Thanks for sharing this I will be doing the same!!
#47 Rebecca A. May 2, 2013, 9:40 pm

I googled this on a different website for other ideas and one suggested adding 1TBSP + 1 tsp cream of tartar to help preserve it and help prevent molding. You can buy the fine sand at Michaels in lots of different colors too. Haven’t checked the price of the sand at Michael’s, but was suggested to buy the play sand at Home Depot or Lowes which sells it in 50lb bags for less than $10.00.

Skip to my Lou

Craft, Create & Celebrate

DIY Moon Sand

47 Responses to “DIY Moon Sand”

Leave a Reply

Welcome to Skip to my Lou

47 Responses to “DIY Moon Sand”

Leave a Reply