Magic-Kinetic-Moon Sand.
Kinetic Sand. Sand in Motion. Sands alive. Magic sand. Moon sand.
Many names for the AMAZING creation that is the sand that even my most neat-freak-mummy-friends will let their kids play with INSIDE the house. Ok, maybe not in the formal dining room or their bed… but inside, in the play area. It actually makes a GREAT inside activity for those rainy days where the kids want to play in the sandpit but it is pouring with rain and they can’t go out.
What is this ah-mazing sand you speak of, earthling?
Seriously, it is magic sand. No, really. I have no idea how it works, but the name “kinetic sand” is far more descriptive than “moon sand”, “sands alive”, or “magic sand” (though far less imaginative).
Kinetic sand is sand that sticks to itself. It feels a little bit on the damp side, but it is not wet. The consistency of the shop bought version is somewhere between sand (beach sand) and cornflour. It’s a fine grain, almost powdery, but…. but its just amazing. I’ve had some kids say that it feels like snow. Or cookie dough, apparently.
These days you can get all sorts of colours (though the pedantic side in me would never let my kids use more than one colour at once - "I’m sorry darling, no mixing of colours, just like Playdoh!"). But the colours look pretty amazing and would inspire all kinds of creative play. You can also get all sorts of toys to play with, but playdoh toys and beach toys also work a treat. The one thing you will need is some kind of flat based container to contain all this magical sand.
It sounds fun, you say, but why is Kinetic Sand good?
It is sensory. We all need a variety of sensations to help our brain process and grow.
It develops fine motor skills. Often kids with hypermobility (and other children too) have some delay in the fine motor skills - whether this be hand or finger strength, finger coordination or finger isolation.
It is a gentle toy…and hypermobile hands like 'gentle'. Especially those with super bendy finger joints. Sometimes even playdoh can be too much resistance for little bendy fingers, so moon sand can be a way to develop dexterity and coordination without pushing too much on those bendy joints.
It’s fun. Plain and simple. I would play with it all day if I didn’t have grown up things to do.
Did I mention it never dries out? Big plus factor for me!
You can buy kinetic sand from many places - under one of the many names above!
*** Note: Always remember to check the ingredients if you have children with allergies.