Do you want to make sand bottles for a family reunion, vacation Bible school, Sunday school, scouts or birthday party? They are fun and easy to make but last year I was shocked at the cost of colored sand.
This year, I found a cheaper alternative to buying colored sand. I bought fine children's play sand and three jars of dry tempera at the School House in Peoria. I put sand, a couple scoops of dry tempera and some glitter in a plastic container. The glitter really adds some bling to the sand. I shook and mixed the sand until I had the color I wanted. With the three primary colors, I was able to achieve all the colors of the rainbow. They turned out so pretty! Best of all it was way cheaper!!!
I used Parmesan cheese containers because the wide mouth makes it easy for the children to scoop the sand out with a spoon into a funnel.
We bought little glass bottles with corks at a craft store. In case your child tries to take the cork out, we did super glue it. If you are on a budget, you can always save bottles with narrow openings or use small jars.
I did a quick search and found you can color sand with food coloring. This seems to be a little more time consuming because you wet the sand and then it has to dry. The dry tempera is way easier. If you're interested... http://www.ehow.com/how_2303753_make-colored-sand.html
The kids did a great job and it is a super souvenir from their Super Summer Seashore Safari!
