Sandcastles and Other Crafts for Kids at the Beach

Going to the beach is one of life's great simple pleasures in the summertime. Gathering up your whole family, seeing the excitement in the kid's faces and maybe even packing a picnic is a truly great way to spend a day with the family. There are all kinds of great things to do at the beach. To create some of your own fun and get both yours and the kid's imagination flowing, making crafts to either do at the beach or to take the beach are a great enhancement to already terrific activity.

Who doesn't love to fly a kite? And on the beach, there's nothing better than running through the sand and seeing your own beautiful creation soaring above you. To see how you can make a kite of your (or your children's) very own. And for a different kind of kite see how to make a Japanese carp kite.

And who doesn't need a beach bag to haul around all the toys, lotions, towels, and maybe extra clothing? A great project for the kids is to teach them how to make their own beach bag before heading out for their day in the sun.

In this article, I will give you a little insight on how to make a great sandcastle. Adults and children of all ages will love seeing a great sandcastle go from start to finish. Whether you have a toddler who pokes at the sand you are forming, or older children who will help put the sandcastle together, this is one of the greatest family activities. Here is what you will need: sand, water, pail, shovel or spade (not a necessity but would be a great help), plastic knife or spoon (use these if you want to get really creative and add a lot of detail to your sandcastle.)

To get started, find an area of shore that is level and sandy and not too far away from the water. Don't start building too close to the water either though or the tide may come in and wipe away your beautiful creation before your finished working on it.

Water is one of the most essential items you will need when building your castle. And you will need a lot of it (good thing you're at the beach!) It's just unfeasible to work with dry sand as water will act as a glue to keep the sand together and allow you to shape the sand. To prepare the sand you will be working on, begin by throwing a few bucketfuls of water on it. Over the wet spot, create a pile of sand a few feet high and throw a few more buckets of water on it. Make sure it is good and soaked, this is the foundation for your castle.

It's best to begin by building a central tower on the base. The higher it is the better it will be and the more opportunity you will have to really let your imagination fly! The central tower needs to be strong enough to support its weight and that means that the sand, once again, needs to be very wet. The best way to create your tower is by making several "patties" of sand, a few inches thick each, levelling them and placing them one by one on top of each other, shaping the sand as you go.

Other towers can then be arranged around the central tower in random designs or patterns. I find this is a great time to use the sand molds. I like my molds to be just a few inches deep so that I can build all the towers the same way I did the central tower - make several of the same shape and stack them one on top of the other.

Walls are used to attach the towers. To create your wall, scoop up as much wet sand as you can with your hands. Squeeze your hands together to remove any excess water (but be careful not to get rid of too much sand) and place the mound of sand where you would like your wall to be. Again, stack one clump on top of the other, shaping the wall as you go, until you have reached the height you would like your wall to be.

If you're looking to get really fancy, you can add arches which are just reshaped walls with openings through them. To do this, gently tunnel through the base of your wall. Enlarge and shape the opening into the form of an arch by removing thin layers of sand.

Another varied type of wall is a ramp. Ramps can either be used as staircases or walkways. Steps can easily be carved into a ramps surface by using a plastic knife to remove sand.

We've all seen pictures of fantastic sandcastles lying along the beaches of the world. These steps are just a few things that might make it easier when you are building your masterpiece. Sandcastles can be so interesting and truly are a joy to create. And while it's true that when you are done, your finished piece won't last forever, the time spent laughing and playing with your family in the sand and water will be cherished memories that you will always be able to keep.