This moon sand recipe is taste-safe, quick to make and made from simple kitchen ingredients that you probably already have at home. It is soft and crumbly, but holds its shape when pressed, and would make a fantastic DIY alternative to kinetic sand!
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Have you ever made your own moon sand? You may know it as “cloud dough” or “moon dough”, but no matter what you call it… it’s definitely worth making. Use it as a taste-safe sensory bin filler, or as a standalone sensory activity for your child.
If you’re looking for a fun activity for a rainy day, make sure you save this recipe. It is fun, easy to make, and you probably already have all the ingredients you need to make it at home. I also love that it’s edible, which makes it safe for toddlers!
For a fun seasonal twist, you can also try Summer Beach Moon Sand or this Fall-Scented Moon Sand made with fall spices!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy to make: This recipe couldn’t be easier to make! The whole process takes under 5 minutes from start to finish (or under 10 minutes if you want to make it taste-safe) and doesn’t require any cooking or heating.
- Simple ingredients: Moon sand is made from two simple, affordable ingredients that you definitely have at home, which means you can make it anytime without needing to make a run to the store.
- Taste-safe: I have included instructions that will allow you to make this recipe taste-safe, which means it’s suitable for young children who still try to put everything in their mouths. (But unlike some recipes that call for brown sugar, it doesn’t taste great, so your child shouldn’t actively want to eat it!)
- Unique texture: Moon sand is super soft and crumbly, but it’s also moldable, and it holds its shape when pressed into a ball. You’ll definitely want to try it at least once!
Looking for more taste-safe sensory activities for your child? Try one of these Taste-Safe Sensory Play Ideas!
Required Ingredients
- Flour: Use regular all-purpose flour. Please note that raw flour isn’t safe to eat, so if you need this recipe to be taste-safe, you’ll need to heat treat the flour first (instructions below). If your kids are older and past the mouthing stage, you can use it straight out of the bag.
- Oil: Any type of liquid cooking oil will do. I generally use vegetable oil because it’s cheaper. If you are using coconut oil that has solidified due to the cold, you’ll need to heat it in the microwave for a few seconds to restore its liquid consistency. Unrefined coconut oil has a strong coconut smell, so use unrefined coconut oil if that is an issue for you. You can also use baby oil or mineral oil, but if you do, the moon sand won’t be taste-safe.
- Candy coloring (optional): Make sure you use oil-based candy coloring and not regular food coloring. (Regular liquid and gel food coloring are water-based, which means they won’t mix with the oil.) Alternatively, you can color your moon sand using unsweetened Kool-Aid powder, or even powder paint if you don’t need it to be taste-safe.
The full ingredient list, quantities and instructions can be found in the recipe card.
How to Heat Treat Flour
If you have a young child at home and you want to make this recipe taste-safe, you will need to heat treat the flour before you use it, in order to kill any lingering bacteria.
To do this, preheat your oven to 350˚F, spread the flour on a baking sheet and bake it for 5 minutes. You can also heat it in the microwave on high for 1 minute and use an instant read thermometer to make sure that its temperature has reached 165°F.
If you find that you often have a need for taste-safe flour, you can heat treat it in large batches and take it out whenever you need it.
How to Make Moon Sand (Step-by-Step)
Step 1: Add candy coloring to oil (optional). Using a toothpick, a popsicle stick or the handle of a small spoon, add several globs of candy coloring to the oil and stir until combined. (To leave the moon sand white, simply skip this step.)
Step 2: Combine oil and flour. Pour the flour into a bowl and add the oil. Stir with a spoon to combine, breaking up any clumps as needed to create a smooth, powdery mixture that holds its shape when pressed into a ball.
Once you have finished combining the flour and oil, your moon sand is ready to play with! We repeated the process three times to make several colors, and had fun mixing them together to create brand-new shades.
Looking for more edible sand recipes? Check out this Taste-Safe Kinetic Sand, this Edible Cheerio Sand or this Edible Rainbow Sand.
Helpful Tips
- Use lots of coloring: If you have chosen to use candy coloring and you want to create a nice vibrant color, make sure you add enough coloring to the oil. The color will look much lighter once the flour has been mixed in, so use more coloring than you think you’ll need.
- Use powdered pigment: If you don’t have candy coloring and you would rather use Kool-Aid powder or powder paint, stir the powder into the flour before you add the oil. You can also skip the coloring entirely if you’re fine with keeping the moon sand white.
- Choose your batch size: We used 2 cups of flour and ¼ cup of oil, but you can make smaller or larger batches as long as you stick with a 8:1 ratio (eight cups of flour for every cup of oil).
- Try mixing colors: For added fun, we decided to make 3 batches and mix them together in order to add a color exploration component to this activity. The red and blue didn’t mix so well, but the yellow and blue created a gorgeous green, and the yellow and red created a nice bright orange. You could make a whole rainbow if you wanted to!
- Make taste-safe snow: This recipe would work great as taste-safe play snow! Simply skip the coloring to keep the color white, and store your moon sand in the fridge to make it feel cold to the touch. (You can also use this Fake Snow Recipe if you’re looking to try something different.)
Storage Instructions
To store leftover moon sand after your child is done playing, place it in an airtight container or zip-top bag. It can be kept at room temperature for up to 4 weeks (or even longer) if it is kept clean and adequately stored.
Always make sure your child has clean hands when playing, and avoid getting the moon sand humid or wet. If it starts to look dirty, develops an off smell or shows any signs of spoilage, discard it and make a fresh batch.
How to Limit the Mess
- Keep it contained: Keep the moon sand inside a bin during play to prevent it from getting all over the place.
- Take it outside: If the weather is warm enough and there isn’t too much wind, try taking your bin outdoors to play.
Frequently Asked Questions
Have a question that wasn’t answered here? Let me know in the comments and I’ll be happy to help!
More Taste-Safe Activities
If you have tried this Moon Sand Recipe or any other project on my website, please let me know how it went in the comments below. I can’t wait to hear from you!
Taste-Safe Moon Sand
Ingredients
- oil-based candy coloring as needed
- ¼ cup cooking oil (e.g. vegetable or coconut)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Spread the flour on a baking sheet and bake it in the oven at 350°F for 5 minutes to kill any harmful bacteria. (If you don't need the moon sand to be taste-safe, you can skip this step.)
- Use a toothpick, a popsicle stick or the handle of a small spoon to mix some candy coloring into the oil.
- Pour the oil into the flour and stir until combined, making sure to break up any clumps. The mixture should hold its shape when pressed into a ball. To make several colors, repeat the previous steps as needed using different colors of candy coloring.
Video
Notes
- Use enough coloring: The color will lighten significantly once the flour has been mixed in, so use more coloring than you think you need.
- Follow an 8:1 ratio: Make smaller or larger batches by sticking to an 8:1 ratio of flour to oil.
- Add a learning component: Add a color exploration component to this activity by creating several colors and seeing how they create brand-new shades when mixed.
Please describe the details in baking the flour to achieve taste saftiness.. Thank you
Hi Sherri! You’ll need to preheat your oven to 350°F, spread the flour evenly on a baking sheet and bake it for about 5 minutes. This should kill any harmful bacteria. Just make sure you keep a close eye on it so it doesn’t burn!
Do you think packets of Kool aid might be a good substitute to color it?
Yes, I believe powdered Kool-Aid could be a good substitute for candy colouring as long as it’s the unsweetened kind (to prevent the sugar from making things sticky). It would add a nice scent too! I would mix it in with the flour before adding the oil.
Purple is a hard color to get right. But I do remember seeing them add a little bit of yellow to the paint I was getting mixed at Home Depot, so maybe yellow helps?