DIY Colored Sand {Tutorial}

Not too long ago, we needed some colored sand for an art project. So, we decided to try to make our own! This is a easy tutorial in case you would like to make your own colored sand as well!

Supplies:

• food coloring
• bowls
• aluminum foil
• water
• clean sand (Below is a photo of the sand that I found at the Dollar Tree.)

Directions:

1) Pour some sand into a bowl.

2) Add enough water to the bowl to just barely cover the sand.

3) Add food coloring. The more you add, the darker the color.

4) Stir and let the mixture sit for an hour or two.

5) Carefully strain out the excess water and scoop the remaining pasty mixture onto aluminum foil. (I used a separate piece of aluminum for each color and then placed them on a baking sheet.)

6) Bake at 200 degrees until the sand is dry.

7) Once the sand is dry, allow it to cool and then store it in plastic baggies or containers until you are ready to make a masterpiece with your colored sand!

DISCLAIMER: Yes, these are old Gerber baby food containers. Yes, my youngest are 4 years old. No, they do not still eat baby food. Yes, I have had these containers for a LONG time! Yes, I save just about everything if there is a possibility of re-purposing it!!  LOL!!!

NOTE: I did try allowing the sand to air dry on paper towels in the sun. This did NOT work! As the sand dried, the paper towels soaked up the excess moisture AND the color!!! I ended up with colorful paper towels and very bland looking sand. I probably should have known this would happen…but I didn’t think about it…until it happened! Maybe you can learn from my mistake!!  :-)

ART IDEAS: I will soon be sharing how we used the colored sand.  However, in the meantime, you can grab some glue and create wonderful art projects by simply “drawing” with the glue and then sprinkling the sand over the glue! Allow to dry and enjoy your artwork!

Want to make colored rice? I have a tutorial for that too!

 

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