Compressible and moldable toy sand composition

A sand-based molding composition which can be compressed using hand pressure, and which starts as a free-flowing sand mixture, is formed by combining a solvent with a waxy binder and blending this with sand and subsequently stripping off the solvent. The molding composition includes the particulate material, preferably sand, coated with a thin coating of the waxy binder which is preferably a paraffin wax. A pigment can be added which will remain held by the binder and will not tend to stain. The molding composition can be compressed with the hand to form a molded article, and can be easily crushed to form a flowable, sandy product.