How to make Pretend Snow: Winter Themed Kinetic Sand for Kids

My kid’s love playing with kinetic sand so I thought I would make them a batch with a snowy appearance to enjoy this winter. It’s the perfect play activity for when it’s too cold to go outside. If you haven’t tried kinetic sand this is a great time to try it since you can make it yourself. Kinetic sand is so fun to play with because it squishes, takes shape, and crumbles.

We tried a few batches and found this recipe to work the best. It has Dawn dish soap in it which we used before to make our Homemade Bouncing Bubble Recipe. We also took a lesson from Steve Spangler and made Pretend Snow.

Suggested Books:

Tracks in the Snow-affiliate link

Pete the Cat: Snow Daze (My First I Can Read)-affiliate link

Curious About Snow (Smithsonian)-affiliate link

Pretend Snow Kinetic Sand

Supplies:

2 C White Craft Sand-affiliate link

3/4 C Cornstarch-affiliate link

1/4 C Dawn Dish Soap-affiliate link

1/4 C Water

Extra Fine Glitter -affiliate link (optional)

Directions:

Mix the sand and corn starch together. The first batch we tried we used dollar store sand and it didn’t work. I think because the sand was too course and had a hard time sticking together.

In a separate bowl mix the dish soap and the water. Add the liquid mixture into the sand, mixing as you go making sure all the sand is moistened but not drenched. Set the sand aside to settle. The sand is ready to play with when you can squeeze it and it will hold shape without making your hand wet.

Unlike store bought kinetic sand this pretend snow sand will dry out. When that happens simply sprinkle with a little bit of water and mix it in with hands until it is the correct consistency again. Our sand also looks a little blue from the dish soap which we thought looked like ice. If you want pure white snow you would always try using a clear soap to see if that would work too.

My kid’s have been entertained for hours with their kinetic sand pretend snow. They enjoy using cookie cutters and playdough tools to fill make treats.