We’re going to the beach, and boy, are we excited. I’m trying to pack lighter this year. Last year, the car was packed to the rafters and then we had to squeeze in more. This year, we’re not going to bring any food. Instead, we’re buying it there. That leaves a little more room for craft supplies.
When I go to the cabin, I like to do crafts. The rest of the year, life is just too busy and while I can squeeze in some crafting here and there, I never get extended periods of time when I can just concentrate on crafts. My daughter is lukewarm about crafts and loves the speedy one-two-three, all done approach to crafting.
However, on a rainy day at the beach or in the early morning when little voices would echo down the beach a little too much for the neighboring cabins, crafts are a great project.
One of the non beach-related crafts that we do is dyeing play silks. We get long silk scarves and bring silk dyes or gather berries that will dye well. We wet the scarves and use the dyes and the berries to make patterns on them, then we clip the scarves to the clothesline behind the cabin to dry in the wind. If you don’t need more toys, you can do the same thing with a white hat, a white bandanna, or even a t-shirt.
We also like to collect things above the high tide line. The vast majority of these objects go back to the beach afterwards, but it is fun to play with them for a while. We find driftwood and make it into castles and structures for little people. It’s also fun to make hanging driftwood sculptures for the side of the cabin.
We also find abandoned shells and smooth rocks. This year, I’m bringing some natural clay so that we can press a few of these into clay bowls and pendants. With some sand and some playdough, you can also make sand playdough.
What do you like to do at the beach?