Dough Wars! Cloud Dough vs Kinetic Sand

This is the first of many "Dough Wars!" to be found here at Your Kids OT.  There are so many "doughs"  on the market and many more recipes for various "doughs" on the internet.  Today, I'm comparing "Cloud Dough" and "Kinetic Sand".  Don't know what they are... read on...

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Cloud Dough

What is Cloud Dough?
Cloud dough is a homemade dough made from 2 simple ingredients - plain flour and baby oil.

Mix 4 cups of plain flour with 1/2 cup of baby oil to make cloud dough. You may also add your favourite essential oils to add additional sensory stimulation.  Store in an airtight container.

The sniff test: choosing an essential oil to add to the cloud dough.

Kinetic Sand

What is Kinetic Sand?
According to the developers - "Kinetic Sand is fun, mess free play sand or sand in motion". http://www.kineticsand.com.au/

It is made out of 98% sand and 2% magic (ie. non-toxic synthetic polymer).  It was developed for children with special needs. 

Kinetic Sand should not be mixed with water as this changes the properties of the sand. 

It never dries out.

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Cost?
Cloud dough costs approximately $2.20 (plain flour) + $2.45 (baby oil) = $4.65 for at least 2 batches of the recipe listed above.

Cost?
Kinetic Sand is a commercially available product from the website listed above as well as specialty toy stores throughout Australia.  The 5 kg box costs $49.95 and 1 kg box $19.95.

Winner: Cloud dough is the cost effective option.  I feel protective of the Kinetic sand each time I see some land on the floor and potentially be thrown away. {Feels a bit precious because of the cost, but that could just be me!}

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Sensory experience?
Cloud dough feels smooth to touch because of the baby oil in the dough.  It feels silky without feeling slimy or sticky. Cloud dough can also feel crumbly when it breaks into smaller pieces. The additional sensory experience of making the dough (ie. combining the flour with the baby oil, smelling and adding the essential oil) is rewarding for kids to be part of the cloud dough creation.

Sensory experience?
Kinetic Sand feels soothing and smooth.  It is fluid as the sand sticks to itself and moves gently as it falls in your hands. (This may be best seen in the video below). When you touch kinetic sand you expect it to feel like ordinary sand and there are some similarities, however it feels less grainy.  It is not sticky and wet like wet sand. Definitely a unique sensation!

Winner: Either .... A personal preference here. Both feel great to me!

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Cloud Dough shaping and moulding.

Shaping and moulding?
When pressed into a mould, cloud dough sticks together and "clumps".  You can mould small clumps and hold it gently.  Too much pressure will crumble the dough.  We could not cut out shapes or mould cloud dough in flat moulds. 

Kinetic Sand shaping and moulding.

Shaping and moulding?
Kinetic sand moulds easily in containers and shapes may be cut out.  You can mould a solid shape and hold it gently.  If you squeeze it then the sand falls apart smoothly.  You can not pick up a shape from the tray.  

Winner: Kinetic Sand is easier to mould and shape.  Both have great properties though.

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Cloud Dough mess factor!

Mess factor?
Cloud dough can become very crumbly and messy.  Whilst the cloud dough was played in a tray, there was lots that ended up on the ground or tabletop. It did stick to fingers during play too. Tiles become very slippery after cleaning up cloud dough.  I would suggest this would be a great outdoor activity!

Kinetic Sand mess factor!

Mess factor?
Kinetic Sand proports to be mess free. We found that it still crumbles a bit on fingers and clothing. We (ok, I) was a bit precious about it when it left the tray onto the table, ground or clothing.  It can be swept back together but cannot be picked up like playdough to re-use.  I would suggest using a "messy mat" or tablecloth on the floor so the bits that fall on the ground may be collected for re-use.

Winner: Kinetic Sand is less messy but not completely mess free.

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I will leave the overall winner up to you!  Both sensory experiences are fantastic.  They have unique properties that are better felt than described.  Kinetic Sand would be a great present for a child and I can see "Cloud Dough" in preschools and childcare centres across the globe!  Try them both and let me know what you think!

Note: Cloud dough should not be consumed.  Please supervise children during this activity and it is not recommended for children less than 3 years of age. 

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Editorial Note after publication: 
Looking for more ideas when playing with Kinetic Sand? Read about"7 invitations to play Kinetic Sand".

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