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DIY Beach Play Sand Sensory Activity for Kids

July 29, 2013 by Selena Robinson 9 Comments

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We usually do a family vacation in the summer, but the funds were just not there for it this year. Boo.

So we had to find a way to bring the beach to us. And that’s how we ended up making  this DIY beach play sand!

Our kids are huge sensory seekers, so this soft and moldable play sand was a wonderful sensory experience for them.

Fun Play Beach Sand Sensory Activity for Kids

I will say that it can be rather…messy, so take my advice and lay a few towels down before you get started.

After that, it’s a snap to make and they’ll play with it for hours!

If your kids love this, try our fun Coffee Filter Beach Ball Craft or read some sandy stories with our list of Beach Books for Kids!

Make this simple DIY play beach sand recipe to share a summer sensory activity with the kids!

DIY Beach Play Sand Recipe

To make this beach play sand sensory activity, you’ll need the following: (This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

  • Whole wheat flour
  • Baby oil
  • Silicone baking molds
  • Large container for holding the “sand” (We just used our roasting pan.)

How to Make Play Beach Sand

We started off by reading the classic book Curious George Goes to the Beach.

In the story, George explores the water, builds sandcastles, and (of course) makes a mess by being curious.

Curious George Goes to the Beach
Then we looked at some pictures of professional sand castles. The things people can do with sand and spray bottles are just incredible.

A Proper Sand Castle on Jersey

C/O: Tim Jenkinson

Sleeping Beauty Castle

C/O: Jeroen Kransen

Naturally, the kids wanted to play around with some sand of their own.

To make our own “sand”, we used a classic play sand recipe featuring one part baby oil to eight parts flour.

I decided to use whole wheat flour, since it looked more like authentic sand than white flour.

DIY Play Sand Recipe

I had to work the baby oil in with my hands to get it to distribute evenly. It was actually quite therapeutic.

DIY Sensory Sand Play

Then we dropped in some silicone baking cups and a few bento molds and the kids got to work!

DIY Beach Play Sand

I just stuck our “sand” in a roasting pan, but you could easily make this on the driveway or in a sandbox.

How to Make Sensory Sand

See how well it sticks together?

It works beautifully with baking molds, but if you have buckets or sandcastle molds, this would be fun to use with those as well.

DIY Sensory Play Sand Recipe

The kids absolutely loved it! And it literally took five minutes. Beach fun without sand in your shorts!

Make this DIY play sand for some beach fun at home!

Love this activity? Don’t miss these other fun summer ideas!

Try some of these fun and easy summer crafts for kids with your children this year!

Super Easy Farm Shoebox Diorama Craft

The Best Beach Books for Kids

This post is part of the Summer Book and a Big Idea linkup from iHomeschool Network! Click on over to read more book-based learning ideas from my fellow bloggers!

Summer Book and Big Idea

Filed Under: Fun Activities for Kids, Sensory Activities Tagged With: beach play sand, diy beach play sand, diy play sand, summer, summer activities

Comments

  1. Nita says

    July 29, 2013 at 6:18 am

    That looks fun! I’m a beach lover also and it doesn’t matter how old my kids are they love playing in the sand. This is a great idea.

    Reply
    • Selena@lookwerelearning says

      July 30, 2013 at 6:23 pm

      And you don’t get your toes burned in the process! 🙂

      Reply
  2. Gina says

    July 29, 2013 at 7:27 am

    That is inspired. We actually live on the south coast of the UK. While we all love the beach and water sports, I am quite taken by the idea of sand that is not itchy, crunchy, on the bottom of the bath or all over my floors!
    Near where we live they have daily sandcastle competitions and some of those sculptures are amazing, everything from cars to dinosaurs and mermaids, a space rocket once. My kids always makes a castle that looks like Corfe Castle,(i.e. ruins) and build a moat around it. Always. Lol. Surprisingly, our lopsided effort with a bit of water in the moat is yet to win!

    Reply
    • Selena@lookwerelearning says

      July 30, 2013 at 6:23 pm

      I’m so jealous! I live in a landlocked area now, but I grew up near the coast. I’d love to live by the water!

      When it comes to sand sculpting, though, I’ve never attempted an actual castle. I can do a sand petal flower and that’s about it….lol.

      Reply
  3. Carla says

    August 7, 2013 at 4:05 pm

    I love those professional sand castles…wowza! I’m pinning!

    Reply
  4. Rebecca says

    August 8, 2013 at 8:04 pm

    Oh, I miss those days with fun and sand! Thanks for linking up again! I’ll be pinning this to share with More Moms out there!

    Reply
  5. Karen W says

    August 6, 2014 at 9:29 pm

    I really do wish my children had the opportunity to go to the beach like I did when I was growing up. Alas, we live in rural Northern Pa, not Queens NY. No where near the beaches I went to growing up. I love the idea of moon sand, this would be a great activity for the children.
    Thanks for stopping by and sharing with Throwback Thursday Blog-Style. I can’t wait to see what you share this week.

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Combating the Middle of the Year Homeschool Blues - Upside Down Homeschooling says:
    February 6, 2015 at 6:00 am

    […] them to your sheet for decorations. Again, you can use the edible sand for younger kids or this fun sand recipe for older kids. You can also do an ocean floor sensory bin for kids to explore the animals of the […]

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  2. Over 100 of The Best Book Clubs to Inspire Your Kids to Read says:
    November 5, 2018 at 8:03 am

    […] Curious George Goes to the Beach by Selena at Look! We're Learning […]

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Hi! I'm Selena, a veteran teacher and homeschool mom to four. I'm so glad you're here!
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