Holy sandcastle

When I was a child on holiday at the beach besides playing in the sea jumping waves and swimming my favourite thing to do was to play in the sand.  My brother and I would create a mud pie shop scenario and build a mass of mud pies (wet sand in balls) and then feed them to the sea.  Building sand castles with Dad was also another favourite thing to do.  We had your basic sandcastle/fort with a moat but then my dad would build aeroplanes and boats and cars out of the sand that we could sit in.  I wish I had a pic to include here....the aeroplane one definitely stands out.

Sand play is great for children.  Not only does their imagination run wild with various adventures but it's great for tactile play and the sand running through their fingers can also be very relaxing.  It is beneficial in fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination, weight, volume and measuring.

If you can't get to the beach this summer or don't have access to a sand box find a large plastic tote and fill it with sand for your little ones. One of those large under the bed totes are great.  Fill it with sand, cars, cups, old yoghurt pots, small plastic animals etc and watch their imagination run wild....it will keep them busy for quite a while and can be used in or out of the house.  And don't mind the mess......it's giving them a great learning experience and keeping them out of your hair for a while!!!

If you do make it to the beach this summer and feel in need of a challenge check out http://www.chicagotribune.com/travel/sns-viral-sand-pictures,0,5977808.photogallery for some inspiration for your sandcastle building.

Here are a few examples of some extraordinary sand art.
















Have fun!