# Sparkle Sand Puffy Paint > Mix a flour puffy paint with real play sand, color and fine glitter. Spread it on cardboard with spoons and cotton buds, then microwave it briefly so it puffs into squishy, gritty, sparkly art. - URL: https://www.funlittles.com/homemade-puffy-paint-with-sparkle-sand/ - Ages: 3–6 yrs · Difficulty: easy · Mess: high - Time: prep 15 min, activity 30 min - Works for: one-on-one, small group, whole class - Skills: art, sensory-exploration, fine-motor, colors - Cautions: wheat-gluten, food-dye, ingestion-risk ## Materials (one batch) - 0.5 cup White flour - 2 tsp Baking soda - 0.5 cup Play sand - Water (household) - Liquid watercolors - Fine glitter (optional) - 1 piece Large bowl (household) - 1 piece Whisk (household) - 1 piece Spoon (household) - 1 sheet Sheet of cardboard (household) - Cotton buds (household) - 1 piece Microwave (household) ## Substitutions - Instead of liquid watercolors: Food color (The post lists food color as an alternative.) ## Safety - An adult does the microwaving. Use only the short time given (30 to 45 seconds), stay at the microwave the whole time, and never put metal, foil or staples in with the cardboard. - The puffed art comes out warm. An adult checks the temperature before kids touch it. - This paint is not taste-safe. It contains raw flour, real sand and glitter, so keep it out of mouths and supervise closely. - Pour the sand gently to limit dust, and wash hands after play. - Liquid watercolors and food color can stain hands, clothes and surfaces. ## Before you start - Cut or collect a sheet of cardboard for each child, small enough to fit in the microwave. ## Steps 1. Put 1/2 cup of white flour and 2 tsp of baking soda into a large bowl. 2. Whisk in water a little at a time to make a thick batter with no lumps. 3. Add enough liquid watercolors or food coloring to get a vibrant color. 4. Add a little less than 1/2 cup of play sand and mix again. The batter gets much grittier. 5. Stir in a big dose of fine glitter to make it shiny. 6. Make a new batch for each color you want. 7. Spoon the paint onto a sheet of cardboard and spread it further with a cotton bud. 8. Paint, smear, smudge, pour and spread until the art is done. 9. Adult: microwave the cardboard for 30 to 45 seconds, depending on how thick the paint is. 10. Once an adult has checked that it's only warm, touch the puffed art. It's squishy, gritty and warm. ## Tips - Don't put this paint into squeeze bottles. It has so much texture that it won't flow out. Spread it with a spoon and a cotton bud instead. - The funnel-and-bottle step was totally unnecessary, although my child loved digging through the paint and helping push it through the funnel. - Do this art project on a sunny afternoon and you'll be in for a treat. The sand and glitter shine like diamonds. - Thicker paint needs closer to 45 seconds in the microwave. Thinner paint needs closer to 30. - Display the art for a couple of days. I usually save the pieces until the flour starts turning moldy or flaking off. ## The original post by TurkeyMom (2014) *Make gritty puffy paint with a wonderful sandy texture for your next kids art project. Perfect art activity for the summer!* We are at it again with a nice summery art activity with a sandy texture. After playing with scented [**edible "sand"**](https://www.funlittles.com/edible-sand-recipe/) and [**scented edible "sand dough"**](https://www.funlittles.com/sensory-activities-kids-edible-sand-dough-recipe/) we continued with the sand theme, except this time we used the real stuff. The resulting homemade puffy paint turned out super fantastic. We have tried the basic puffy paint recipe many times over with great success. Our favorite was the [**fall tree puffy paint art**](https://www.funlittles.com/puffy-paint-fall-art/) and our [**Halloween puffy paint art project**. We have also loved the simpler **shaving cream puffy paint**.](https://www.funlittles.com/halloween-art-projects-puffy-halloween-art/) This time however we added lots of sparkles. The gritty sparkle sand paint was absolutely gorgeous. Fairly easy to make a batch too. You will see below that this step was totally unnecessary. Although my child loved digging through the paint and helped it push through the funnel faster. Faster into the squeeze bottles. Can you "see" the wonderful texture of this sparkle sandy paint? If you happen to do this [**art project**](https://www.funlittles.com/category/art-projects/) during a sunny afternoon, you will be in for a treat. The sand and the glitter will shine like diamonds. Since the puffy paint had a lot more texture, it wouldn't flow the bottles. So I would not put these homemade puffy paint into bottles. Instead just spread the paint using a spoon on cardboard and use a cotton bud to spread it further. The microwaved puffy paint art just looks stunning! Sparkly, sandy and puffy! Doesn't it like look like our [**1 minute salt painting**](https://www.funlittles.com/art-activities-epsom-salt-painting/)? The puffed art is amazing to touch. It's squishy, gritty and warm to touch. It's always great to make your own homemade paints and [**art recipes.**](https://www.funlittles.com/tag/art-recipe/) Now for the homemade puffy paint recipe with sparkle sand **Ingredients** - 1/2 cup white flour - 2 tsp baking soda - little less than 1/2 cup Play Sand - **[Liquid Watercolors](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0042SR5R2/?tag=blmemo-20)** - or Food color **Method** Add 1/2 cup of white flour to a large bowl. Mix in enough water to make a thick batter while removing all the lumps using a whisk. Add enough liquid watercolors or food coloring to get a vibrant color. Now add little less than 1/2 cup of sand and start mixing again. The batter now gets much grittier. To make the puffy paint shinier, add a big dose of fine glitter. With a big batch of sparkle sandy puffy paint, invite your child to paint, smear, smudge, pour, spread on a sheet of cardboard. Once the art is deemed done, place the cardboard in the microwave for 30 seconds to 45 seconds based on the thickness. Display the art for a couple of days. I usually save the pieces until the flour in the art starts turning moldy or starts flaking off. Thanks for reading Also try [**"Glowing puffy paint"**](https://www.funlittles.com/homemade-paint-recipes-glowing-puffy-paint/)