Cakes and I recently won a competition run by A Little Bird and Freestyle Kids. The prize was a 5kg box of the most fabulous stuff I have ever seen, KINETIC SAND. What is Kinetic sand you ask? It is something that no child or adult can walk past without touching (kind of like Goop or Oobleck for those of you across the ocean, but made of sand).
It moves just like goop but without the mess. When you press and push it, the kinetic sand stays together. When you hang it, drip it or squish it, it flows. Cakes and I had fun building sand castles and knocking them down. It was much more fun than ordinary sand as the sand particles moved with a mind of their own. It reminded me of little metal shards being moved around by a magnet.
It feels just like wet sand but without the sticky mess. Even though Cakes' favourite place at school is the sandpit she tends to stick to the dry sand. Her sensory aversions tend to keep Cakes on the cleaner side of play. This sand is perfect for her as she gets to experience the tactile play without getting messy. For parents concerned about mess this product is amazing. I am a bit cheap and hate to waste anything and our house is far from clean. So we tend to protect the play resource from the floor rather than the other way around. I was so pleased to find the sand was as easy to pick up as bits of playdough. With the cat walking around I was so worried about getting cat hair in it, but none got in, yay! At school I have carpet on the floor and I was able to salvage every piece of sand dropped, no dust, dirt or carpet was attached to the sand, double yay!
The box said that the Kinetic sand never dries out. We decided to test it out (with a very small amount, just in case) and after an entire weekend out, it was just as good as it was when we started. It also says it repels water so when we have a little more time we are going to add a moat to our next castle.
It moves just like goop but without the mess. When you press and push it, the kinetic sand stays together. When you hang it, drip it or squish it, it flows. Cakes and I had fun building sand castles and knocking them down. It was much more fun than ordinary sand as the sand particles moved with a mind of their own. It reminded me of little metal shards being moved around by a magnet.
It feels just like wet sand but without the sticky mess. Even though Cakes' favourite place at school is the sandpit she tends to stick to the dry sand. Her sensory aversions tend to keep Cakes on the cleaner side of play. This sand is perfect for her as she gets to experience the tactile play without getting messy. For parents concerned about mess this product is amazing. I am a bit cheap and hate to waste anything and our house is far from clean. So we tend to protect the play resource from the floor rather than the other way around. I was so pleased to find the sand was as easy to pick up as bits of playdough. With the cat walking around I was so worried about getting cat hair in it, but none got in, yay! At school I have carpet on the floor and I was able to salvage every piece of sand dropped, no dust, dirt or carpet was attached to the sand, double yay!
The box said that the Kinetic sand never dries out. We decided to test it out (with a very small amount, just in case) and after an entire weekend out, it was just as good as it was when we started. It also says it repels water so when we have a little more time we are going to add a moat to our next castle.
Loving some clean play
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This is how Cakes looked at tidy up time.
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Cakes was so busy experiencing a medium she usually avoids, she didn't really see how cool this sand really is. The kids at school however thought it was amazing. They couldn't believe how it moved all by itself, how it stuck together and how it separated.
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I would recommend Kinetic Sand to all parents, teachers and children. I see specific benefits for students with special needs (with sensory processing disorders, poor small muscle development, etc). This is a product that will be seen in my classroom to cater for students who are tactile and kinesthetic learners. If you are a visual learner you might be interested in the video below, it will have you ohhing and ahhing.
You can follow Freestyle Kids on Facebook for updates on the Kinetic Sand (and other products)
You can follow Freestyle Kids on Facebook for updates on the Kinetic Sand (and other products)
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