I did not know until I began working on this post that Kinetic Sand is a brand name. Apparently it was developed by a Swedish arts and crafts company and has a proprietary formula. Other companies have developed knockoffs; I’m pretty sure the stuff my kid played with came from Canada.

If you have never had the joy of messing with this compound, it’s basically sand that feels wet and never dries out. It’s like futuristic PlayDoh; it comes in brilliant colors and you can mush it into all kinds of shapes and it doesn’t fall apart. For better or worse, it does not have that distinct PlayDoh smell, but you can get it in fruity scents to match the colors.

Kinetic Sand is a big hit with the preschool crowd and caretakers. It’s versatile, it’s not messy, and it lasts forever. All that squishing and squeezing strengthens hand muscles and improves fine motor skills. It has also been pressed into use (haha, get it?) as a therapy device; apparently its tactile nature and versatility have a soothing nature that helps manage anxiety.

In essence, kinetic sand is the opposite of polymeric sand, which is supposed to harden and form a weed resistant barrier in the cracks between pavement or other landscaping stones. I spent all last summer pouring and pounding that stuff all over my patio and firepit. (I failed, apparently. There are still weeds galore out there.) Polymeric sand is not half as much fun as Kinetic. Maybe next summer I’ll see how that stuff works instead; at least playing with it will be more entertaining!