How to Make Taste Safe Sand
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Taste safe sand can be used in so many meaningful play experiences!
There are so many benefits associated with sensory play. Taste safe sand is perfect to use for so many different activities for babies and toddlers to access opportunities to support their growth and development. Not only do kids love playing in this sand, but it is also completely safe for mouthing babies and toddlers to have a taste. Some would even say it was beneficial!
How to Make Taste Safe Sand
We love getting messy with sensory play at our house. Pouring, poking, moulding, flexing, pressing, pinching, grabbing, stirring while exploring different textures makes learning fun and engaging!
Every movement of the small muscles in the hands and fingers strengthens them which will assist in so many life tasks. Fine motor skills are vital to develop as a foundation for many other skills. Sensory play is a great way of engaging children in play which will help develop this crucial skill while having fun!
What you need to make taste safe sand for babies
All you need is… *drum roll*
- 2 1/2 cups Flour
- 1/2 cup Oil
The awesome thing is that is made with just two ingredients that are highly likely to be in your pantry! Exciting!
Please don’t get caught up on the type of flour or oil for that matter. As long as it is a plant-based oil and wheat flour, you should be able to make an awesome batch of sand for sensory play.
This recipe is versatile.
If you prefer it crumblier, add a touch more oil.
If you prefer a drier mix, add more flour.
How to make taste safe sand for babies
Just mix the flour and oil together in a bowl.
That is all that’s needed. Mix until combined and you are good to go, ready to play.
I measured out the flour first before drizzling the oil over our flour mound. Using a fork I gently started to mix the oil in with the flour trying my best to avoid a puff of flour in the face.
The taste safe sand comes together quickly. Once the mix was starting to clump, I abandoned the fork and used my hands to from our crumbly ‘sand’.
Some flours can be a bit more thirsty than others so you may need a bit more or less of each to get your desired consistency.
This could be a good experiment for older children.
What I was looking for was sand that was crumbly but will keep its form once compressed.
How to play with taste safe sand for babies and toddlers
There really are endless possibilities with this sensory play base.
Use it as a stand-alone or add tools and resources to create so many learning experiences for your children.
Desert Small World with Taste Safe Sand
Exploring foreign biomes is so interesting.
Creating a sensory small world with taste safe sand allow your child to experiment and explore this habitat through play. Team up the experience with a relevant book to expand your childs comprehension. This activity can act as an opportunity for some great conversations too!
What you need to create a desert small world with taste safe sand
- Play Tray
- One batch of taste safe sand
- Natural pebbles
- Animal Figuirines
- Pretend plants
Does your child copllect nature during your walks? This is small world is perfect to use those natural treasures your nature hoarder may have left in their pram, in your car or handbag!
How to set up a desert small world
- Spread the taste safe safe across the base of the tray.
- Add decorative elements such as pebbles and pretend plants
- Add animal figurines.
Ice Cube Tray Bricks
What you need to create ice cube bricks
- Play Tray
- One Batch Taste Safe Sand
- Ice Cube Tray
- Spoon
How to set up ice cube tray bricks activity
Hands up if you love simple play ideas? *Raises both hands*
This little activity is a super simple, and quick, play tray to set up.
Literally present your child with their play tray, with their taste safe play sand, spoon and an icecube tray.
What they do with it is totally up to them!
How to play with ice cube bricks activity
This invitation to play was well received by Miss 4 who’s curious fingers were running through the mix as soon as she heard the word go!
She love how it felt and how it could be moulded between her hands.
Once she had spent some time exploring how the sand may be manipulated, I started gave her the additional elements.
The ice cube tray was her first choice. Miss 4 started spooning our freshly made sand into the reservoirs.
I showed her how to press the sand into the holes to compact them. While we worked together to fill the entire tray, we started a conversation around how bricks are made and all the different ways we use bricks.
Once the tray was complete, we popped out our ‘bricks’ and Miss 4 began constructing a wall.
While building we continue to chat about the way the sand feels, how it can both firm up and fall apart with pressure, different things that we could make with it and all sorts.
Once Miss 15m woke from her nap, she quickly took the opportunity to join in on the fun.
Miss 15m sampled some of the crumbly mixe and it was AWESOME to just sit back and watch her explore rather than turning into helicopter mother of the year.
More taste safe sensory play recipes
Other sand alternatives that are even edible!
While we love our taste safe sand, It is fun to mix it up a little too.
If you would really like tto level up your sensory play to make it edible instead of taste safe, these options could totally work for you!
Breadcrumbs
Yup, good old breadcrumbs.
Whether they are freshly made, freshly toasted or store bought, creadcrumbs can be used as a great sensory play base.
They feel different, sound different and even smell different.
I have a bag of the end pieces of bread kept in the freezer.
Once there are a fair few in there, a quick blitz of the thermomix or blender and they are ready to play.
Here is a dinosaur small world we created using some fresh breadcrumbs, bottle tops and some accessories from a dinosaur playset we have had for years
This looks great. I might have to give it a go with my kids. I can see them having a lot of fun with this.
What a cool idea!! My daughter is getting super close to an age that this will be so fun! Thanks for the recipe and ideas! I wonder if you could add a touch of food coloring for some fun colors???
This is so fun! I don’t even have kids and I want to make it!
Haha It’s amazing how captivating sensory play can be – even for us grown ups!
Fun! I will have to remember this for when my twins are big enough to play!
Thank you! It was super fun! Please feel welcome to let us know what your little ones think of it once they are old enough ?
So excited to try this out – perfect when it’s too hot to do ANYTHING!
Yes for sure! Have you tried finely crushed ice? I will pop ice cubes into the Thermomix on hot days to make ‘snow’! It can be pressed into shapes for the first five minutes or so before starting to melt. Hope you get some relief soon!