Bring the beach home

Use sand as the inspiration for summer crafts

I hope you’ve had a chance to feel sand between your toes this summer. Or maybe even build a sand castle or two. Whether you spend a sunny afternoon at North Avenue Beach or travel to more tropical locales, sand is an essential part of the summer experience. Here are some ideas on how to incorporate sand into your child’s creative play.

First, some advice about your sand source: I don’t suggest you literally bring home sand from the beach or the sand box at the park for these projects because you just don’t know what’s in it. Instead, head down to your local home improvement or gardening store and invest in a bag of clean play sand for the following projects. It is $5 well spent. Because play sand tends to be fairly wet, spread some out in a layer on a baking sheet and let it sit in the sun to dry a bit before beginning any of these projects.

While you’re working on your projects, don’t miss this opportunity to teach your little one about sand itself and its many uses, from sandblasting to sandbagging. For more sand craft ideas, visit familycrafts.about.com/od/sandcrafts/Sand_Craft_Projects.htm.

Beach candle
If you had a great time on the family beach vacation, make this candle as a souvenir of your trip. Take a walk together on the beach and collect some interesting shells to decorate your candle. Purchase a plain white pillar candle (a 3 x 6-inch size works well). Using a paint brush or Q-tip, apply white craft glue all over the candle. Spread some sand out on a newspaper and roll the candle back and forth in the sand until the candle is covered. Allow the candle to dry overnight so the sand forms a hard crust. Glue shells to the candle to complete the beach effect.　

Supplies
• Pillar candle
• Craft glue (Note: you may want to use a more durable glue to attach the shells to the candle)
• Paint brush or Q-tip
• Sand
• Shells
• Newspaper

Rainbow sand
You can dye sand different colors and display it in decorative jars. Put a handful or two of sand into a plastic bag with a zip-lock top. Add drops of food coloring to achieve desired color. Securely close the first bag and then double-bag it in case the first bag tears. Shake the bag to distribute the color. Repeat for a few different colors. Let the sand dry overnight, or at least for a few hours. Choose an attractive container to hold your sand. Used jars or old vases work well. It looks nice to layer the different colors of sand on top of each other. You could also mix all of the colored sands together.　

Supplies
• Sand
• Several plastic, zip-lock bags
• Food coloring
• Old jars or small vases
　

Sand painting
Use sand as "paint" to create a textural image. Cover your work surface with newspaper. Either draw a simple image on a piece of white paper or print an image you like from the computer (www.freekidscrafts.com). Squeeze craft glue around the outline of the illustration and then completely fill in the image. Make sure the glue is evenly applied. Generously spread sand over the image, covering completely. Let the project sit overnight to dry and then shake off any excess. Consider mounting your image to a sturdier piece of paper to support the weight of the sand.

Supplies
• Newspaper
• Sand
• White glue
• Paint brush or Q-tip
• Printed or drawn outline on white paper
• Thicker card stock (optional)