from 3 years
Kinetic Sand: Magical kneading fun for children – 5 sets in comparison
It looks like normal (colored) sand, but can be shaped like playdough.
© Andrey Sayfutdinov/Getty Images
Children love digging in the sand. Mixed with a little water, the coarse to fine grains can be used to conjure up creative structures. Things get even more imaginative when colored Kinetic Sand is used – the magical modeling clay is currently very popular with children. But what is it really?
The special thing about Kinetic Sand is that it can be formed under pressure without coming into contact with water. Similar to play dough. And yet it is natural quartz sand to which a special ingredient has been added: polydimethylsiloxane, a type of (non-toxic) binding agent. This means that Kinetic Sand magically changes its consistency when kneaded. Another special feature is that the modeling clay is available in different colors – this breathes even more life into children’s imaginative creations. Below we introduce you to five different Kinetic Sand sets. We will also tell you how you can make the magical sand yourself.
Kinetic Sand: 5 popular sets for children
1. Sandisfying Set
In this Kinetic sand set In addition to the quartz sand (453 g red and 453 g blue) there are all sorts of craft tools for shaping, mixing, rasping and playing: a twister with an attachment for ribbons and rasps, a pestle and a modeling aid, a shape cutter and a portioner, a plane and a hemisphere, a mold and a phone holder as well as a sandbox with a backdrop.
2. Ice cream set
The special thing about this set is that the Kinetic Sand smells: the brown mass smells of chocolate, the white one smells of vanilla and the pink one smells of strawberry – based on popular ice cream flavors. For this reason, matching gadgets are included in the delivery, such as an ice cream container and an ice cream cup, an ice cream cone and a waffle iron, a scoop and a spoon.
3. Castle mold set
Also a popular Kinetic Sand set this variant: This includes ten small castle molds and ten bags each containing 127 grams of sand in different colors. What is particularly practical here is that the small containers have a lid to store the modeling clay in when it is not in use. This means the sand does not dry out and can be reused.
4. Sandbox set
Kinetic Sand is intended for home use so that children can play with sand even on rainy days – or when there is no playground nearby. But even if the mass can be easily swept up, you should always use a surface when playing. Or a matching one Sandbox made of plastic including sand (454 g), three molds and a shovel.
5. Rainbow Mix Set
In this set Includes everything kids need to mix colorful rainbow colors: 383 grams of Kinetic Sand (127 grams each of red, yellow and blue sand), a pestle and sand scoop, three stamps, a cutting tool and a cylinder mold. Colorful rainbow creations can be created in just a few simple steps.
And another tip: Kinetic Sand can dry out over time if not stored in a closed container. It’s best to use a plastic container or a fresh-keeping bag to protect the dough from drying out. Otherwise you can also order individual refill packs in different colors (e.g Pink, Blue or Green) reorder.
Make Kinetic Sand yourself: this is how it works
In fact, it should be possible to mix Kinetic Sand at home, although not with the same ingredients as the original (unless you’re a chemist). To achieve a similar consistency that has the same effect when kneading, you need the following ingredients: Either 960 grams of flour, 120 milliliters of sunflower oil and a food coloring of your choice. Or you can mix four cups of fine (sifted) bird sand, two cups of cornstarch and one cup of water together. It’s best done in a large mixing bowl with a whisk; the food coloring is only added at the end – done!
One more tip at the end: To achieve the right consistency, the amount of water is crucial. Too much liquid makes the sand too soft, too little sand makes it too hard.
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