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Friends Art Lab / Blog / Christmas Moon Sand Sensory Activity

Christmas Moon Sand Sensory Activity

Author: Kristian Klebofski    Published: 11/15/2023     Updated: 11/06/2024

After years of trying to crack the code, I have FINALLY discovered how to add color to moon sand, and it’s epic sensory fun! We are thrilled to introduce Christmas moon sand for hours (and hours) of festive sensory play.

A rounded ball of red Christmas moon sand sits in a shallow container of more red moon sand sprinkled with red, green, and white pom poms.
Table of Contents:
  1. I have been dreaming of Christmas moon sand for years
  2. Christmas moon sand is just the beginning
  3. Materials
  4. Directions
  5. What oil is best for moon sand?
  6. Let’s have a chalk talk
  7. How to store Christmas moon sand
  8. FAQs

I have been dreaming of Christmas moon sand for years

LITERALLY. I have wanted to make colorful Christmas moon sand for 10+ years now.

Moon sand is made with just flour and oil, so it’s white. Always white.

Since liquids don’t mix with oil, I haven’t ever been able to add color to moon sand.

Until now. *cue the confetti cannons*

Related: You can add all the colors under the sun to a GIANT 10-foot Christmas coloring page (the.best.thing.ever.)

Three photos (1) a measuring cup is turned and pouring flour into a shallow plastic container, (2) a gallon-sized zippered bag is opened and at the bottom is ground up red chalk, (3) finished red Christmas moon sand sits in a shallow bucket with Christmas colored pom poms (and in the background is a kitchen spatula)

Christmas moon sand is just the beginning

Now that we can make moon sand colorful, this is just the beginning of the fun to come.

We have made Halloween moon sand by adding Halloween sprinkles, and it’s such a hit.

And now, we can have moon sand in every color of the rainbow!

Sensory play is our fave. Try some of these other sensory activities, too:

  • Warm Tea Fall Sensory Table
  • Dyed Corn Sensory Table – super easy to make in Christmas colors
  • Oobleck Color Factory – also easy to make Christmassy
  • Jingle Bells Scoop and Transfer
Materials needed for Christmas moon sand: flour, measuring cup, baby oil, stick of red sidewalk chalk, and jumbo popsicle stick

Materials

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  • Flour
  • Baby oil
  • Chalk
  • Shallow tray – these look great
  • Christmas toys
  • Spatula – optional 
  • Plastic zippered bag and rolling pin or mortar and pestle
  • Popsicle stick – optional
Ground up red chalk and mixed into flour with a spatula

Directions

Mix together:

  • 4 cups flour
  • ½ cup baby oil
  • 1 ground-up piece of chalk

To grind your chalk, you can

  • Put it into a plastic zippered bag and crush it with a rolling pin (what we did here)
  • Use a mortar and pestle (we’ve done this method 1,000 times for other chalk projects, and kids LOVE it)
  • Run a popsicle stick down the side of the chalk to shave it (we did this here, too!)

Mix until all ingredients are incorporated using a spatula or your hands.

You’ll know it’s ready when you can mold the moon sand into a ball, and it retains its shape.

You can always double or triple the recipe. When doing this with a group of kids, I at least double.

Two rounded balls of red Christmas moon sand sits in a shallow container of more red moon sand sprinkled with red, green, and white pom poms.

What oil is best for moon sand?

We have only ever used baby oil for moon sand, and it’s wonderful.

Moon sand has been on repeat here for 10+ years and flour + baby oil make a wonderful team.

Baby oil is easy to find at stores like Target and Walmart (in the baby section), but we also have had luck finding it at the Dollar Tree, too.

While we haven’t tried it ourselves, I do know some people have used cooking oils like vegetable, coconut, or olive oils, too.

Two photos with two methods for grinding chalk: (1) a popsicle stick is slid down a piece of chalk over the flour (2) a red piece of chalk is flatted and ground up in a zippered plastic bag by a rolling pin

Let’s have a chalk talk

Here, I used only one piece of sidewalk chalk, and it added TONS of color. I was blown away.

You can, of course, add more or less chalk to your liking depending on how much you make.

If you don’t have sidewalk chalk on hand, skinny chalkboard chalk will work, too (you’ll just need more than one piece).

An outstretched hand holds a ball of Christmas moon sand over the shallow container with the rest of it

How to store Christmas moon sand

When done playing, store your Christmas moon sand in an airtight container or zippered plastic bag.

We have kept our moon sand for weeks before and have never had a batch look, smell, or feel anything less than fresh.

As with any sensory material, if it starts to look or smell different, it’s easy to toss and a make a new, fresh batch.

Being able to store this for future open-and-go play is simply the best.

Three photos of a ball of Christmas moon stand starting out as a full, round ball, then getting pressed in the center, then being flattened when done being pressed.

FAQs

What age is this activity recommended for?

Any that can safely enjoy the materials.

How much chalk does it take to make it this colorful?

We only used one stick of sidewalk chalk.

Can this be made in different colors?

Absolutely! You can use any color chalk to make any color moon sand.

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Christmas Bubble Foam Sensory Activity

EXPLORE A CATEGORYChristmas, Sensory

Related Activities

  • Halloween Moon Sand Sensory Activity
  • Halloween Water Table Activity
  • The spring flower sensory table: A plastic bin is full of water and has TONS of flowers & flower petals floating at the top in oranges, pinks, yellows, purples, and greens.
    Spring Flower Sensory Table - Water Play Activity
  • Magnetic Apple Sensory Bin Activity

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Kristian

Hi, I’m Kristian!

I have spent over 15 years in the preschool classroom, I have a Master's degree in Early Childhood Education, and I was a college professor of education for eight years. My passion is sharing creative learning activities for children and I'm so happy you're here.

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