A Kinetic Sand Adventure for the Whole Family

Hello everyone!

I have to admit, I wasn't exactly thrilled when my youngest son received a kinetic sand sandbox as a New Year's gift. But, I figured, if we're getting it, we'll use it. I remember when my older son was at this age, someone suggested we get kinetic sand for the kids, and I almost agreed, but an experienced mom in our parenting group warned that it would be everywhere. At the time, I didn't think about it, but now that we have laminate flooring and no carpet, cleaning up the sand after playtime won't be a problem.

This set usually costs around 1400 rubles and can be found on marketplaces everywhere.

Kinetic Sand Genio kids Inflatable Sandbox SSN108 2kgThe box is pretty heavy and has a nice design with pictures of the sandbox, sand, molds, and tools.

Inside, everything was neatly packed, and there were a lot of items in the included set:

400g green sand,

400g pink sand,

400g blue sand,

400g purple sand,

400g natural sand,

2 seashell molds,

4 castle-building molds,

2 stampers,

4 cupcake molds,

a shovel,

a rake,

a sandbox.

Kinetic Sand Genio kids Inflatable Sandbox SSN108 2kgKinetic Sand Genio kids Inflatable Sandbox SSN108 2kgThe sand we mixed together on the first day of play. The beautiful colors turned into a dull purple mess with streaks of the original colors. But, let's be honest, it's going to get messy anyway.

Now this is a big chunk of sand. It's a chunk because it breaks down and becomes solid, and it's even hard to pull out of the packaging - you need to separate it from the main mass little by little.

Kinetic Sand Genio kids Inflatable Sandpit SSN108 2kgBut then, when you pick it up, it starts to slowly spread out on your palm, and it's just so relaxing to watch that happen.

Kinetic Sand Genio kids Inflatable Sandpit SSN108 2kgIt becomes something utterly bizarre in terms of consistency. It's like it holds its shape like a solid object, but it's also like it's spreading out like a thick liquid. It's amazing. The kids are also totally captivated by it.

The oldest (6 years old) is playing with us when I pull out the box for the youngest. He loves to bring out his Lego figure and reenact scenes with it, and the color of the sand that's mixed in reminds him of meteorites, so his games are all about 'a meteorite is coming down, save yourselves'.

Lego figure in kinetic sandThe youngest (2 years old) is currently just playing without any storylines, exploring the physical properties of the sand. His favorite thing to do is break it down, rub it, crumble it, and pour it out. So, the sandpit (which is 41cm x 54cm when inflated) isn't really any help in preventing it from being scattered everywhere. It washes off clothes easily, sometimes just a quick shake is enough, but I always change their clothes afterwards because I'm worried about the sand getting into their eyes, nose, and mouth, so after playing with the sand, I give the youngest a full bath (including their hair), and the oldest just needs to wash their hands because they're playing more carefully.

Kinetic Sand Genio kids Inflatable Sandpit SSN108 2kgOur friend's child (3 years old) also played with the smart sand in the sandpit - he was interested in playing with the shapes. He filled the shapes with sand, then turned them over. There are plenty of shapes to play with, and you can always add more items from around you and toys to let your imagination run wild.

Kinetic Sand Genio kids Inflatable Sandbox SSN108 2kgWhen you fill the mold with sand, you need to pack it down a bit better, because it gets stronger when you apply pressure, and then you get these amazing stable figures. Unlike regular sand, they hold up way better, like they're made from this loose modeling clay.

Kinetic Sand Genio kids Inflatable Sandbox SSN108 2kgBut trying to stack them on top of each other to build a tower doesn't work, unless you're going for a two-story one. Because the sand starts to compress the lower levels and it's like it's melting - under the weight of the sand, it just sinks down.

There are also these cool stamps: a cat and a flower.

Kinetic Sand Genio kids Inflatable Sandbox SSN108 2kgSo, the verdict: this creative set is awesome, kinetic sand will captivate kids of all ages (my experience covers kids from 2 to 6 years old, but with supervision, it's suitable for younger kids too, maybe even from 8 months). It doesn't get stuck under your nails like modeling clay does, but it's close in terms of texture. The movement of the sand particles is mesmerizing for both kids and adults - after opening the box, we all sat down together, relaxed, each in our own way. In general, this is a great thing for winter when sandboxes aren't available, and when the floor is flat and they play away from carpets, so you can vacuum up the dust later. And as a bonus, you can buy more sand and molds as you see fit, so this set isn't one-time use.