Simple Outdoor Adventures for Boys {Day 18}: Build a Sandcastle
How to Build a Sandcastle…
Supplies:
- Sand
- Sunscreen
- Buckets
- Shovels
- Water
- Sand Castle Forms
I {almost} didn’t post this one for all of us Northern cooler climate folks. It’s a rough time of year to be looking at beach pictures, as we start wearing our Snuggies 24/7 and stockpiling for winter. I get that. I truly do. However some of you are finally cooling off enough to step outside and tolerate some sunshine for the first time in months. So for those of you heading to the beach, or dreaming of vacation days continue on… 😉
If you are pouting, try making a house from sticks or a hut from mud. Or maybe you can already make an igloo. It won’t be the same, but perhaps you could use your imagination. You know, for the sake of the children.
Surprisingly, there’s a fine art to making a good sand castle. You need moist sand, but not soupy sand. {It gets stuck in the bucket.} Experiment with a few buckets full and you’ll get the hang of it. The best spot is below the tide line.
Once you’ve found the right consistency of sand, fill your bucket and pack it down firmly. Start with larger forms or buckets to build your base. Then fill in with smaller forms. {Yogurt cups make perfect small forms or towers.}
You can customize your castle with walls made by stacking and flattening handfuls of sand around your castle base. A moat is another fun addition. Other things that may help your castle creation process: paint brushes, toothbrushes, butter knives, a flag for the top, and straws to blow away unwanted sand.
Helpful Tips/Resources:
* The best place to find moist sand is just below the tide line.
* Don’t forget stomping on the finished castle is sometimes the most fun!
Where’s Your Favorite Place to Build a Sandcastle?
I grew up in Kansas so we didn’t go to the beach but loved building castles and forts in our backyard sandbox!
So true, Abby! Backyards are some of the best places for imagination, adventures, and childhood memories! Thanks for the reminder!
Every year, there is a giant international sandcastle building competition in Seaside, Oregon. It’s AMAZING what those people can do!
Once again, you are CONVINCING me to come to Oregon! =)
I’m telling you, I’ve traveled a lot, and I still think Oregon is one of the most beautiful, diverse places in the world. Within an hour’s drive from our home in Salem, we have the Pacific Ocean (Highway 101 is THE most beautiful drive in the world!), the high desert, the mighty Cascade mountain range and thousands of miles of farmland and fertile valley right outside our door. Oregon’s got everything except Republicans. 🙂
Friends taught me a trick when I was young, get a bucket of soupy sand after you’ve built your castle and drip it over the tops …it gives that pointy and old look. 🙂
SMART….now I just need a week at the beach to try it out!