Recipe for MOON SAND

(I found this article in a website wisebread.com --- I'll have to make some OUTSIDE with the kids soon -- looks like fun.)

Make your own moon sand, dirt cheap.

One of the hot Christmas items this year was Moon Sand. But while it's certainly not a bank-breaker, it is costly for what is basically wet sand. So, I did a little digging around (pun intended) and discovered a way to make your very own moon sand. Here's the best part...the homemade stuff will set you back less than 60 cents per pound!

As you may know, there are several Moon Sand kits out there, and they come with all sorts of the usual play-gough style gadgets and molds. But if you just want a bucket of the stuff, the best deal I have found so far is at Amazon, where a 7 1/2 lb tub will cost you $18.74, down from $29.99 (at the time this article was published).

Now, if you do the math you'll figure out that Moon Sand is roughly $2.50 per pound on sale, down from $4/lb. Not bad, but not great. With the following recipe you can create around 50lbs of homemade moon sand for $30. That equates to 60 cents per pound, over 4 times cheaper than the sale bucket! So, grab your rubber gloves and lets get to work.



Recipe for homemade moon sand (1 batch)

6 cups of play sand (I got a 50lb bag from Lowes, it was $4.99 plus tax)

3 cups of cornstarch (most dollar stores carry it for $1 per box...you'll need around 24 boxes for the whole 50lbs!)

1 1/2 cups of cold water

Step one: Mix the water and cornstarch together thoroughly, this will take a few minutes to get it nice and smooth.

Step two: Gradually mix in the sand, one cup at a time. You'll need to really work it in with your fingers.

Step three: Play with it!

Step four: When you're all done, pop it in an airtight container.

Step five: When you next play with it, you'll need to revive it with 2-3 tablespoons of water. Just sprinkle it over and work it in.

That's all there is to it. Very cheap, very easy and the kids will get to play with heaps of the stuff. Play sand also comes in different colors, so buy different colored bags to mix things up a little. Have fun!