Fun Sand Toys for a Great Day at the Beach

Taking kids to the beach is a great summer activity. Splashing around in the ocean waves or swimming in a lake is, of course, a lot of fun. But that isn't the only reason kid love the beach-playing in the sand can be quite exciting as well.

If you want your kids to really enjoy their day at the beach, you need to plan ahead. Of course, you have to bring along all the basic necessities-but go a little further and bring along some sand toys as well. Sure, you can just grab a pail and a shovel, but why stop at that when there are so many more options?

Before you head out to the store or start searching online, search around your house-you probably have quite a few items that would make great sand toys already! Here are some suggestions:

Plastic cups of various sizes
Plastic spoons, forks, and knives
Plastic bowls and storage containers
Empty water bottles

All of those items could be helpful for constructing sand castles or building sand creatures. The plastic cups and containers would make uniquely shaped turrets on a building or features on a sand animal, and the water bottles would come in handy for transporting water from the lake or ocean up to your kids' play area. Spoons, forks, and knives can add intricate details to any construction. I'm sure you can find even more items laying around your house that could be used for sand play-be sure to look in the kids' toy boxes for some ideas!

Maybe, though, you want to surprise your kids with unique sand toy. Perhaps the kids have earned an extra-special treat, and you would like them to have a really enjoyable day at the beach. Here are a few excellent (and inexpensive) choices:

Sand Water Wheel $15.99
http://www.mastermindtoys.com/store/product.asp?product_code=57896&subcat=624&agecat=0&cat=15&brand=0&page=1

This is a fun toy for kids ages 2 and up. At the top of the toy is a funnel that has a closure mechanism so that kids can fill the funnel with either sand or water. After filling the funnel, a child can pull on the release and watch the sand or water flow through down through the wheels, which causes them to turn.

Little Digger Sandlot Toy $27.99
http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_200327055_200327055

Be prepared for your kids to make a lot of new friends if you bring this toy to the beach-every child is going to want to play with this! The Little Digger is an imitation of a real construction digger. It has a molded plastic seat for the child to sit on and two plastic handles that control the digger shovel. The seat swivels 360 degrees, so your child can dig in any direction. This toy comes unassembled, but it is simple to put together-and, it is even easy to remove the seat from the base to make it more compact for transportation.

Dig 'N Blast Water Shovel $5.99
http://iqkids.net/dignblwash.html

What kid doesn't love a squirt gun? This shovel has one built right in-simply flip up the shovel head to reveal the squirter and place it in water to fill. The shovel head is a larger size than the shovels that typically come with sand buckets, too, so this will come in handy for digging in the sand.

Beach Bones Tyrannosaurus $16.95
http://www.magiccabin.com/magiccabin/product.do?section_id=0&bc=1004&pgc=1754&cmvalue=MCD|0|Normal%20Search%20Result|P1

This set contains 10 plastic molds of bones that can be laid out in the sand to form a Tyrannosaurus Rex. The molds vary in size, up to 14 inches long. Your kids could use these molds to discover their very own dinosaur, right there on the beach!

Sand Spray Paints $18.95
http://www.hearthsong.com/hearthsong/product.do?section_id=0&sc=1005&bc=1005&pgc=912&cmvalue=HS|CROSSSELL|PRODUCT|908

Yes, you can have your kids paint on the sand! This set includes 4 spray bottles and 8 packets of tinted powder-all you have to do to make the paint is dissolve the powder in water. Then let the kids spray away-these paints are safe for the environment as well as safe for pets and kids. Your kids will have a blast painting their sand castles and sand creatures-or simply spray painting a picture on the sand.

Of course, if you are going to bring extra toys for your kids to play with in the sand, you are going to need a good beach bag in which to carry them. You can use any duffel bag, book bag, or tote that you have-just make sure that it is either washable or waterproof. Obviously, larger toys such as the Sand Water Wheel and the Little Digger likely won't fit in any beach bag, so it is a good idea to bring along some large trash bags to store those in after play. Wet sand is muddy, and you probably don't want to get it all over your vehicle, so try to have a bag (beach bags and/or trash bags) in which to put all of the toys you bring along.

To make your day at the beach last even longer, why not take some sand home with you for some crafts? Try to collect clean, dry sand that is free of rocks and twigs (maybe use a sand sifter, if your kids brought one along?). Then, the day after your beach visit, you can work with your kids to make sand art and sand candle holders. You can have your children make these to give as gifts for the holidays-even if your beach day is in the middle of summer, it won't hurt to have some of your holiday gift planning done in advance, right?

Whatever you decide to take to the beach, the most important thing is to have fun with your kids. Just relax and play-cherish the time you are spending with your children. Leave your worries and stresses at home and your kids will enjoy their beach day even more.