To the Moon and Back: Tactile Fun! by Heather Bowles

I’m always looking for some new, interesting experience to introduce to my daughter, and usually it involves the need to travel.  This week? We’ve been playing with moon sand.

I know you’re thinking: ‘That’s a lot more distance than I plan to cover with my child in the near… possibly even distant future.  Luckily for our poor old Ford, we didn’t need to strap on rocket boosters for this experience. It’s literally two ingredients which you probably have in your kitchen right now, and it’s very easy to make, so get out your measuring cups, ladies. We’re going on a lunar excursion right in our own homes!

You will need:
a clear Rubbermaid or Tupperware container with a securely fitting lid
7 cups white flour
10 oz. of a clear vegetable oil

This recipe literally has one step: Throw all the measured ingredients into your container, secure the lid, and shake to combine. I used extra virgin olive oil, which made the resulting sand somewhat more yellow than a clear oil would have been, but unrefined coconut oil is the only other cooking oil I keep stocked, and I was unsure how well coconut oil would work in this recipe since it’s natural state is more solid than other cooking oils.

After mixing the ingredients, I took some old newspaper and laid it out on our tile. Tabitha loves this stuff! I really does feel like damp sand. It sticks to itself with very little molding, and breaks apart easily. It also does not stain clothes, although I might be singing a different tune if I hadn’t been fresh out of green food coloring. Be careful if you plan to experiment with colors in this recipe. We built sand castles on the floor in our entryway using cookie cutters and stackable cups, smashed them, dug our toes in it, scooped up the mush, and did it again about three times before she got bored and decided to start eating the newspaper forty minutes later.

Cleanup was a snap. I propped open the screen door, swept the whole mess, newspaper and all, out the door and into the grass, returned with a small trashbag, and wadded up the newpapers for disposal. On top of the ease and fun of the activity, I found the skin on my hands was softer for the experience. Who knew playing with babies could be so theraputic?

Let me know if you try this recipe, and if your kids like it. I’d love to see pictures too!

Tags: easy to make, fun activities for small children, moon sand, tactile learning, tactile play