Children are active and easily distracted by different objects present in their surrounding environment.
In fact, for the initial six years of their lives, children are highly susceptible to the stimuli in their environment and often explore new information through their senses.
There are myriad toys available on the market that often incorporate unnecessary components that overwhelm and overstimulate the child.
Well, then how can you as a parent provide your child with an optimum sensory experience through imaginative play?
This is where the Moon Sand comes to your aid, which promotes not only sensory stimulation but also sensory development in children!
If you have been in search of different sensory toys for your child, you have stumbled across the ever-so-satisfying toy the “Moon Sand”.
Allow your child to explore new beginnings and find peace or tranquility by playing with fascinating Moon Sand.
Meant for infants, toddlers, and children alike Moon Sand is a perfect opportunity to develop your child’s hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills.
Whether you want to buy your child a pre-made pack of Moon Sand or you are interested in creating your very own DIY Moon Sand, we have got you covered.
Here is everything you should know about Moon Sand to provide your child with optimum sensory experience.
What is Moon Sand, Exactly?
Introduced in the year 1981, a toy released by Wham-O “Moon Sand” synonymously known as kinetic sand left people scratching their heads due to its unique texture and appearance.
This amazing and intriguing toy has been given the name Moon sand due to its close resemblance to the surface of the moon when the sand is curved or molded into a spherical shape.
Moon sand is a great toy for sensorial exploration that has a texture close to the sand found on beaches and is moldable like clay but with the benefit of not drying hard like clay.
Moon Sand is nothing but a simple mixture of cornstarch, water, and sand that is mixed together for children, toddlers, and infants to enhance their creative imagination through open-ended play.
Create your own Moon Sand with this DIY Homemade Moon Sand Recipe!
Moon Sand is a delightful toy for both children and their parents alike, that not only provides children with unique sensorial experiences but also provides parents and children with a requisite bonding time.
Moon Sand is also great for children with Attention disorders, short attention spans, and ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder).
If you are a vigilant parent who likes to consider all aspects of a child’s development, creating your very own DIY Moon Sand seems like a feasible option.
However, it can be difficult to start a DIY project like this when one does not know where to begin.
Believe it or not, creating Moon Sand at home is quite easy and requires materials you can easily find at home.
To help you create DIY Moon Sand for your child here is a step-by-step recipe:
Ingredients you will need to make moon sand
It is safe to say, your product will be as good as your ingredients, so here is a list of ingredients you will need for creating homemade Moon Sand:
- 2 cups of all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup of baby oil (you can also use vegetables as an effective alternative)
- Food Coloring to add a touch of color
- Cups or Glass to accommodate all the ingredients
- An activity Tray
- Spoons
- Cups
- Scoops
Step-by-step instructions for Homemade Moon Sand:
Creating your own DIY Moon Sand is as simple as following the three steps mentioned below:
- Pour two cups of all-purpose flour into an activity tray
- Add ¼ cup of baby oil or vegetable oil to the all-purpose flour
- Add a touch of food coloring of your child’s favorite choice to the mix and voila you are done.
Are Moon Sand and Kinetic Sand Different?
You may have noticed that Moon sand and Kinetic Sand have been used interchangeably upon researching different websites.
However, Moon Sand and Kinetic sand are totally the same things, furthermore, they are made from the same ingredients.
Both Kinetic Sand and Moon Sand are made from the same ingredients, have the same textures, and provide children with a unique sensorial experience.
What are the benefits of Moon Sand?
Don’t consider Moon Sand to be just any common toy, in fact, it is much more than just a simple toy.
There are more benefits of using Moon Sand than one may think of, and to help seal the deal, here are some hard-to-miss Moon Sand benefits for your child:
1. Development of hand-eye coordination:
Hand-eye coordination is integral for tasks involving writing, transferring, sorting, and pouring, among many others.
Moon Sand is a fun way of developing hand-eye coordination in children by promoting them to coordinate their hand movements with their visual senses.
2. Development of Fine Motor Skills:
Fine Motor skills refer to the ability to make deliberate and precise movements with small muscles situated in the hands, wrists, and fingers while coordinating eye movements.
These Movements are important for activities like academic work, self-care, hygiene, and grooming.
Moon Sand promotes your child to explore the textures tangibly, allowing them to pick the sand and mold it into different shapes.
These molding activities help with the enhancement and development of fine motor skills in children.
3. Enhanced Creative imagination:
Moon sand is a fun and intriguing toy that promotes open-ended play for children, toddlers, and infants alike.
Open-ended play allows children not to explore new horizons and indulge in imaginative play.
4. Sensory Development:
Lastly, Moon Sand is a fun way of promoting sensory development and sensory stimulation in children.
Not only does this exciting toy enhance the child’s tactile sense but also promotes the stimulation of the visual sense in children.
Sensory Play and Sensory Activities using Moon Sand:
Moon Sand and especially DIY Moon Sand, is a great toy for promoting sensory development as well as promoting imaginative exploration for parents and children alike.
With a variety of different types, textures, and a myriad of different ideas the possibilities with Moon Sand are endless.
While Moon Sand on its own can be regarded as a material or toy that promotes children to enjoy new tactile experiences, you can enhance your child’s play experience by integrating different elements to explore new horizons.
To promote sensory play and facilitate your very own sensory activities you can incorporate different materials such as figurines, beads, or glitters among many others!
By incorporating different materials into the Moon Sand you can provide your child with different tactile experiences as well as promote them to become acquainted with different dimensions, shapes, sizes, textures, and even sounds.
Not only sensory development, but Moon Sand activities are also a great way to enhance your child’s creative imagination.
Expand your child’s horizons by allowing them to explore, identify, and recognize new objects as well as understand different concepts with the help of Moon Sand.
Is Moon Sand Child-Friendly and Child-Safe?
One of the key concerns as a parent is to provide your child with toys and materials that are not only beneficial but also safe and accessible.
With Moon Sand, all these concerns fade away, as this fascinating toy for children and toddlers although made from sand and some chemicals that are non-toxic as well as safe for children to play with.
In fact, if Moon Sand is ingested by the child, it will eventually pass through the digestive system and will not affect the child.
Furthermore, Moon Sand especially made at home is admittedly safer and child friendly.
If you can compromise on the quality of the product you can prefer to create your very own DIY Moon Sand instead of purchasing a store-bought pack of Moon Sand.
However, if your child ingests or swallows a large amount of Moon Sand, it is recommended to contact a doctor.
Lastly, one more added benefit of Moon Sand is that it is highly unlikely to get into the child’s eye as it has larger particles than common sand.