Z and I adapted instructions from the craft blog Skip to My Lou and made homemade "moon sand" the other day. It was easy to make, and given Z's enthusiastic use of it for the hour or so after we made it, this stuff could give our homemade play dough a serious run for its money.

Most "play sand" is made of pulverized quartz rock. The problem with this form of sand is that it contains crystallized silica, which is a known carcinogen that is nasty for little lungs to breathe in during play sessions. That's why most play sand has a Prop 65 warning on it, required for it to be sold in California. Some play sand also contains a fibrous form of tremolite similar in structure to asbestos that some consumer groups argue is potentially as harmful.

More than you probably wanted to know about sand. One easy alternative is Safe Sand, which is made of feldspathic rock and does not contain crystallized silica. We bought a sample pack of variously colored sand and decided to try it out for our moon sand project.


To make a small batch of moon sand, mix one cup of sand with 1/3 cup cornstarch. Add a quarter cup of water, stir, and add a tiny bit more to get the right consistency, so it can be packed together like sand you'd like to make a sand castle out of. I've never used brand-name Moon Sand before, but that's what I assume it's like.


Z chose to use her sand to make little sand castles. Kinderville cups make great sand castle molds.



You can buy ready-made Moon Sand from Fat Brain Toys or Amazon.com, Safe Sand at Safe Sand's website, and cornstarch at your local grocery store.