This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
How to make Magic Sand that stays dry in the water! Also known as Aqua Sand, this fun and colorful waterproof sand is poured into water, creating a coral-like appearance that can be used over and over again!
How to Make Magic Sand
Create beautiful underwater sand art by layering all of the colors together. Doesn’t it look so cool? It doesn’t take much to make this fun, from-scratch craft.
Pin this now to save it for later
Pin It NowSupplies:
- Colorful play sand
- Scotchgard – No Scotchgard? No problem. You can use any aerosol fabric protector/water-repellent spray.
- A glass or plastic bowl (like a fish bowl or flower vase)
- Parchment paper
- A fork or spoon (to stir)
You can find color play sand at Walmart, on Amazon, or pretty much any kids’ craft store (online or brick-and-mortar). Look for sand art kits. They tend to contain a variety of colors of sand separated into manageably sized bags.
Instructions:
Spread each color of play sand over a sheet of parchment paper. Spray each play sand with enough Scotchgard to saturate it. Do this in a well-ventilated area, ideally outside or in an open garage or covered area. Scotchgard isn’t something you want to be breathing in.
Spread each color of sand in a flat layer on the parchment paper to dry. This should take about 1 hour depending on the humidity in the drying area.
Once the sand is dry, pour each color into a separate cup. It’s ok if there are small clumps, you can break them up with a fork. Fill your clear bowl with water.
Pour the sand into the water bowl to make designs. Use your hands or spoons to move the magic sand around! If you used multiple colors, they will mix together as you dry and store them. But, this won’t make them any less fun to play with in the future!
Storage Instructions
When you are finished getting creative with this fun magic sand, go ahead and pour the water out of the bowl. Next, spread the sand out on parchment paper to dry. It should come out dry but there may be some wet spots. Store the dry sand in an airtight container for later use.
Magic sand is wonderfully versatile. Instead of just pouring it into the water to make designs, you can take it one step further and use your hands or spoons in the water to sculpt shapes and towers (just like kinetic sand!).
More Craft Ideas
How to Make Aqua Sand
How to make Magic Sand
Supplies
- Scotchgard – No Scotchgard? No problem! You can use any aerosol fabric protector/water-repellent spray.
- A glass or plastic bowl (like a fish bowl or flower vase)
- Parchment paper
- A fork or spoon (to stir)
Instructions
- Spread each color of play sand over a sheet of parchment paper.
- Spray each play sand with enough Scotchgard to saturate it. Do this in a well-ventilated area, ideally outside or in an open garage or covered area. Scotchgard isn’t something you want to be breathing in.
- Spread each color of sand in a flat layer on the parchment paper to dry. This should take about 1 hour depending on the humidity in the drying area.
- Once the sand is dry, pour each color into a separate cup. It's ok if there are small clumps, you can break them up with a fork.
- Fill the bowl with water.
- Pour the sand into the water bowl to make designs. Use your hands or spoons to move the sand around.