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How can you build sandcastles without sand? Is it really a Sandcastle? Well, you read through this post, and you tell me. 🙂
This month our learning has centered around Islands thanks to our monthly box from Experience Early Learning. We had a great time playing pirates, which you can read about here, exploring volcanoes, and wondering about the wind. Today we explored sandcastles but without sand. Here’s what you can do if you too are hours and hours away from a beach.
EEL sent us this game board, die, and crab game pieces. All I had to add was some blocks. I chose Megablocks– easy to bring outside, and can lead to creating a huge castle. Kids roll the die, move their crab and add the number of blocks on the gameboard spot to create their own castle. We chose to build one castle so this became a cooperative game rather than everyone out for themselves. I love cooperative games!
Years ago, when my daughter was 2 (almost 3) we played this game. You can read about that experience here. She has grown so much and to see her and brother enjoying this game together was such a treat for me. So one sand castle was made without sand, but that’s not all!
We love our Invitations to Create from Experience Early Learning! It’s so much fun to see how each child uses the materials given to make their own work of art. Most of the time, I don’t make art alongside them, but this time I could not pass up the opportunity! EEL sent us a picture of a sandcastle to inspire us along with sandpaper, blue cellophane, blue cardstock, and some brown glittery sand.
Since I was creating alongside them (mine castle is not pictured), I didn’t take many pictures during the process, but the method I used to make my castle inspired my girl in how she created hers. She became a little frustrated in the cutting, but she stayed determined (thanks to our EEL book of the day) and finished cutting out her castle. She chose not to use the cellophane, but my son was living his best glue life gluing all the blue cellophane to his sandpaper sheet. I need to go stock up on more glue.
So what do you think? Can sandcastles be created without sand? 🙂
