Making Sand Castles In The Kitchen

This week we started our Sand Unit Study and have been learning about the beach. We have been having a blast and learning lots. For todays crafty project we made moon sand and built sand castles. 

Here is the recipe we used:
4 cups of play sand
2 cups of corn starch/cornflower
2 cups of water

Optional: glitter and/or food coloring - add either of these before you add the water for some added fun.

(When I made ours I doubled the recipe and since we were making sand castles I wanted the sand mixture a little stiffer so I added a little more cornstarch)

Mix the sand with the corn starch in a mixing bowl (I used the kids play mixing bowl that I got at Dollar Tree). Use your hands and make sure you mix it really well. Next slowly add the water a little bit at a time. Mix well with your hands as you go along. As you start to add more and more water the sand will become soft and moldable. DON'T add to much water or you will end up with sandy ooze. When the sand is the desired consistency stop adding water.

After you are done playing with the sand store it in an airtight container. It will not last as long as the real moon sand but will still provide hours and days of fun. If the sand has dried out you can add a little bit of water to it.

What we made:
The kids made sand castles and decorated them with sea shells and umbrellas. They used their play measuring cups (another Dollar Tree purchase) to build make their castles on a pieces of cardboard. They had so much fun. And afterwards Gwyn thanked me for taking them to the beach today!

And video too of our sand castle building:

  

And....I am still trying to get the sand up off the kitchen floor but it was so worth the mess.