D.I.Y. Moon Sand (or Cloud Dough)

What feels like many moons ago, I was introduced to Moon Sand during a teacher’s staff meeting. I restrained myself from playing with the moon sand during the meeting – but mate, I loved the stuff. I had discovered a mess free version of wet sand. It blew my mind. Here was a material that had all the characteristics of wet sand, but unlike wet sand, brushed off your hands (and clothes) with ease once you’d finished playing with it. Blew. My. Mind.

When my kiddos were old enough to play with Moon Sand, I bought a few bulk packs of Moon Sand. My husband thinks the stuff smells like cat litter so he wasn’t a fan. I didn’t mind the smell. It was easy to clean up. The kids loved it and would play with it a few hours a week. The only drawback was that it got quite expensive to replace after awhile, especially when you compare it to the price of normal sand.

 
I looked online for a DIY alternative of Moon Sand and came across Flights of Whimsy’s Cloud Dough. I thought the Cloud Dough would be a good DIY version of Moon Sand, so gave it a go.

Ingrdients

8 cups plain flour

1 cup baby oil (or any oil if you’re concerned with using baby oil)

How We Played

We scooped it into small takeaway containers,

 and made little cakes, complete with candles.

We brought our favourite toys to the table,

and created an engaging story of bravery and camaraderie.

We played.

We created.

 We were together.

Notes from the Trenches

Like Moon Sand, this DIY version holds its shape very well when you mould it (using your hands or a cup, etc), but crumbles very easily once pressure is applied. Unlike Moon Sand, this DIY version is oily. When you play with it, the oiliness is not noticeable. It’s when you tidy up the play area that you notice traces of oil wherever the Cloud Dough has been. I thought I contained the mess to one area of the house, but because the kids had it on their feet, the oiliness spread throughout the house. I had to give the floors a good mop after we played. This is messy play, but very engaging messy play. Well worth the clean up.

 N&M: 3 years, 8 months
E: 1 year, 7 months
February 2012

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