Taste-Safe Moon Sand

Hand holding up a ball of blue moon sand, in front of 3 bowls of colourful moon sand.

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5 from 1 vote

You'll only need a few simple kitchen ingredients to create your very own taste-safe moon sand at home!

Prep Time5

Cook Time5

Total Time10

Course: Sensory Bin

Cuisine: American

Servings: sensory bin

Calories: 1392kcal

Author: Sacha

Ingredients

oil-based candy coloring as needed
¼ cup cooking oil (e.g. vegetable or coconut)
2 cups all-purpose flour

Instructions

To make your moon sand taste-safe, spread the flour on a baking sheet and bake it in the oven at 350°F for 5 minutes to kill any harmful bacteria. (Alternatively, you can buy heat treated flour at the store, or skip this step if you don't need the moon sand to be taste-safe.)
Use a toothpick, a popsicle stick or the handle of a small spoon to mix some candy coloring into the oil. (To leave the moon sand white, you can skip this step as well.)
Pour the oil into the flour and stir until combined, using your hands to break up any clumps if needed. Continue mixing with your hands until the color has spread throughout, there are no more clumps and the mixture holds 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

1. Choosing your oil: This recipe will work with any type cooking oil, including vegetable oil, coconut oil and olive oil. If your coconut oil has solidified, heat it in the microwave for a few seconds to restore its liquid consistency. Baby oil and mineral oil will also work, but they are not taste-safe.

2. Choosing your coloring: Regular liquid food coloring is water-based and won't mix with the oil. Use oil-based candy coloring, or stir unsweetened Kool-Aid powder (taste-safe) or powder paint (not taste-safe) into the flour before adding the oil.

3. Storage instructions: Place any leftover moon sand in an air-tight container or zip-top bag and store at room temperature for up to 4 weeks (or even more). Make sure your child's hands are clean during play, and keep an eye out for signs of spoilage.

4. Limiting the mess: Keep your moon sand contained inside a bin during play, cover your table with a plastic tablecloth, play inside a bathtub or kiddy pool, or play with the moon sand outdoors, weather permitting.

5. Helpful tips:

Use enough coloring: The color will lighten significantly once the flour has been mixed in, so use more coloring than you think you need.
Mix with your hands: After stirring with a spoon, use your hands to fully combine the ingredients and help the moon sand come together. Stirring with a spoon is rarely sufficient.
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.

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