Kid’s Craft – Sand Painting in Bottles and Jars

Sand painting has long been a staple of fairgrounds and craft lessons. This popular craft is easy to do at home as well. By dying the sand yourself and designing the sand painting pictures, your kids will appreciate the finished project. Follow the easy directions below to create a beautiful sand painting in a bottle.

Materials Needed

1. White play sand

2. Food coloring

3. Clean glass jars with lids

4. Spoon

5. Paper cups

6. Sticks or toothpicks

Preparing the Bottle or Jar

The bottle you choose should have a relatively wide opening at the top. This is because you must pour sand in and be able to get a stick into the jar to manipulate the sand.

The jar can be glass of plastic, but it must be completely clear. To prepare the jar, remove all labels and glue residue. Wash the entire bottle or jar completely and let it dry.

One idea to make the finished product better is to paint or otherwise decorate the lid of the jar. A beautiful sand painting should not be under a lid that says “Pickles.”

Dying the Sand in Bright Colors

It is possible to find colored sand at craft stores. However, if you would like to save money, you can easily dye your own sand at home.

Purchase a bag of white play sand from your local hardware or landscaping store. Pour a small amount of the sand into paper or plastic cups or bowls. Drop in several drops of food coloring and stir the sand to coat it evenly. Experiment with more drops for brighter colors, mixing colors, and using different amounts of moisture.

When you are done, let the sand dry completely. Damp sand will result in moldy sand paintings.

Creating the Sand Painting in the Bottle

After the sand is dry, it is time to create your sand painting in the bottle or jar. The easiest method is simply to pour different layers of colored sand into the jar. This will give you a modern art, striped look.

For kids with more creativity or skill, try using a spoon of funnel to pour in different colors of sand in different parts of the jar. Use a chopstick, toothpick, or end of a pencil to poke the sand into different shapes such as Vs, flying bird shapes, or chevrons. Get creative and try to create scenes in the sand.

Sand painting in bottles and jars is a great kid’s craft. It is perfect for any skill level and the finished product is long lasting and beautiful.