Beach in Your Backyard (or Garage)

A recent trip to the beach reminded me of how much my children love sand. A bit afraid of the lapping waves, they happily sat on, scooped and poured the golden powder for hours.

We don’t go to the beach all the time, but we have the beach right at home for some serious sensory play. How do we do it?

Sandbox 

I bought our sandbox almost two years ago from the first homeschooling family I have ever met. If you don’t have the patience for garage sales though, you can always use a huge basin as your sandbox. You can also have an actual box made.

Sand in my sandbox, oh my, oh my!

Sand is available in your neighborhood gardening store. You can even choose the texture that you want. Do you want a rocky or powdery beach?

The deep blue sea

For the deep blue sea, sea, sea, a large tub of water will do. You can also set up an inflatable pool for some splashing fun!

Tools of the trade

Bring out the bucket and various digging tools that you’re saving for the beach and let the kids at it!

Mat  

Keep your space clean with a large sack, collapsed boxes, or an old tablecloth. This way, your garden or garage remains sand-free and you can just pour the precious grains back to the box at the end of playtime.

Remember to cover your sandbox to keep animals from using it as their potty! Have fun at the beach, right at your backyard.

 

A simple beach-themed play gives a lot of opportunities for sensory play. The sand’s  texture, the water’s temperature and the different tools for digging all give a wonderful hands-on exploration experience for little ones.

Make magic!