Sand to me is akin to glitter. Basically, it’s the devil’s dust.
I truly despise its ability to sustain itself even when it’s far from its natural habitat.
Is there a parent alive that doesn’t cringe having to scrape wet sand from inside her vehicle after a beach vacation? What about having to vacuum teeny-tiny, sugar-like sand particles from carpets, tile, and hardwood? Then, there’s the chore of picking out minuscule grains from in between couch cushions and bed sheets?
Still, you can’t deny sand’s versatility when it comes to creating kid-friendly projects. Children love crafting with sand. I know this first-hand because I have a 7-year-old who prides herself in hauling home as much of the beach as possible. When she does, I put the sand she’s collected to good use with these:
Colored Sand
Materials:
Sand
Newspaper
Wax paper
Colored chalk
A clear glass or plastic bottle
Pencil
Cutting board
Directions:
Spread the newspaper over a sturdy table.
Place a piece of wax paper on a cutting board.
Pour some sand on the wax paper-covered board.
Select a piece of colored chalk and roll it over the sand. The sand will slowly absorb the color of the chalk. Keep rolling until the sand is the desired shade of color you want it to be.
Create a funnel from the newspaper and pour the sand into the bottle.
Dig the pencil into the sand to create interesting patterns.
Repeat this process using different colors of chalk, and layer the sand in the bottle until it is full.
Under the Sea
Materials:
Two paper plates (per child)
Blue vellum
Silver craft paint
Fruit Loops
Goldfish crackers
Silk plant leaves (or leaves made from green construction paper)
Sea shells
Sand
Glue
Wax paper
Scissors
Directions:
Place one paper plate right side up and the other one upside down.
On the plate that is right side up, draw a sea floor and apply glue to it.
Sprinkle sand onto the glue, and allow it to dry.
Draw a large circle in the center of the other plate. This is your porthole.
Glue several Fruit Loops in a circle around your porthole, and let dry. These are your “bolts”.
When the glue has dried completely cover the Fruit Loops and the surrounding area of the plate with silver craft paint.
Let the paint dry.
On the other plate, glue on the goldfish crackers, shells, and silk leaves.
Cut-out the porthole from the first plate, and then glue on a piece of blue vellum to cover the hole left in the plate.
Place the porthole over the plate with your mock ocean and display for guests to enjoy.
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