SAND  ART

SAND COMBS
One of my favorite things to make for preschoolers is sand combs.  Children can use them to make creative designs in the sand.

• Cut out some 4” x 6” rectangles from pieces of heavy cardboard.
• Now cut wavy or zig-zag lines on their long-side edges.
• Take them to the beach with you for your children or let them use the combs in a sandbox or sand table.
• Show your children how they can use the cardboard combs to comb through the sand, leaving a design.

SAND DOUGH

• Make up a batch of regular home-made play dough.
• Then, let your child pour in a half cup of sand over the dough.
• Have your child mix the sand into the dough with her fingers.
• Have your child use the sand dough to create sand sculptures.

TIP:  Add more sand if you have a lot of play dough.
 

SAND PICTURES

• Give your child a piece of heavy paper and a small bottle of white glue.
• Show him how to squeeze glue lines over his paper.
• When he is finished, have him place his paper carefully inside of a large box lid.
• Then, let him sprinkle sand over his glue design, to create a sand picture.

SAND PAINTING

• For sand painting, you can either add sand to your paint
• Or you can let your child paint a simple picture and then sprinkle sand on top.
   

SAND PAPER DRAWINGS

• Give your child a piece of sand paper and some crayons.
• Encourage her to draw a picture on the paper.

Extension:  Place your child’s crayon drawing up-side-down on a piece of white jersey or cotton.  Using a iron, gently iron across the back of the sand paper, transferring the picture to the cloth.

TREASURE HUNTS

• Bury some small plastic toys in a sandbox, table or on the beach.
• Give your child a small shovel and have him search for treasure.
   

PATTERNS IN THE SAND

• Give your child some small items, like shells, pebbles, nuts, etc.
• Show him how to make a pattern in the sand, such as; two shells, one nut, two shells, one nut.

SAND MOVEMENTS

• When at the beach, encourage your child to run, hop, dance, etc.
• You can also play games such as “How Far Can You Throw The Stick”, etc.
• Another fun activity, is to build a water canal and encourage your child to jump over the water.
   

BUILDING FORTS AND CASTLES

• Construction activities are fun with sand.
• Show your child how to fill a small sand bucket with sand and then add some water to encourage the sand to compact together.
• Show your child how to tip his bucket over onto the grund and pull the bucket off the sand, leaving an up-side-down bucket sand shape.
• Multiples of these shapes can make a fun fort or castle.

Extension:  Look for odd shaped containers to use instead of the bucket, to create interesting shapes.

SAND  LANGUAGE

WRITING IN THE SAND

• Give your child a stick when on a sandy beach and encourage her to write letters or her name in the sand.
• When not at the beach, place some sand into a box lid and have your child use her finger to write letters.
   

SAND PAPER LETTERS

• Using sand paper, cut out large block letters for your child.
• Give the letters to your child.
• Encourage your child to rub his fingers over the letters as you say their names.

SAND DISCOVERIES

WHAT IS SAND?

• To help your children understand what sand is made out of, set out a display of rocks and shells.
• Then set out some sand and a magnifying glass.
• Encourage your child to look through the magnifying glass at the sand.
• Explain that the sand is just rocks and shells that have been broken down over the years by the waves tumbling them and breaking them apart.

COMPARING SAND

• If possible try to collect samples of sand from many different beaches.
• Set out your sand collection and a magnifying glass.
• Have your children compare the different sands to see how they are alike and how they are different.

SAND  MUSIC

SAND SHAKERS
You can make sand shakers for your child to use while singing or dancing.

• Take a paper cup and have your child fill the cup up half-way with sand.
• Now take another paper cup and place it up-side-down on top of the first cup.
• Tape the two cups together where they meet.
• Show your child how to shake the sand shakers to the beat of the music.
   

I JUST LOVE TO PLAY WITH SAND
Tune:  “Mary Had A Little Lamb”

I just love to play with sand,
Play with sand, play with sand.
I just love to play with sand,
Because sand is grand!

I just love to walk on sand,
Walk on sand, walk on sand,
I just love to walk on sand,
Because sand is grand!
                              Jean Warren
Continue the song with other verses, such as;
                To dig in the sand.
                To scoop up sand.
                To pour out sand.
                To sift the sand.

 
SAND CASTLES
Tune:  “The Hokey Pokey”

You put some sand in.
You take some sand out.
You put some water in
And you shape it all about.

You make a sand castle
With towers all around.
That’s what it’s all about!

You put some shells in,
You take some shells out,
You put some shells in
And you place them all about,

You make a sand castle
With towers all around.
That’s what it’s all about!
                                Jean Warren