Materials
Large sandbox or a portion of sand-covered playground
Spray bottles
Food coloring, blue
Water
Garden hose and outside faucet
Seashells
Seaweed or sea kelp (real, if possible, if not, you can make these out of crepe paper)
Sand shovels
28
Sand pails
Sand molds
Playdough or clay that will harden in air
Instructions
What to do
1. First, read a book about the beach (see suggestions under Related books below). Ask the children
if they have ever been to a beach. Allow them time to tell their own beach stories.
2. Explain that because there is no beach nearby, they are going to make their own beach.
3. Use your large sandbox for the next steps. If your entire playground is sand, then use rope or
heavy yarn to mark off a large area. You will need lots of room!
4. Ask the children to describe what a beach looks like. As they talk, begin to mark off the areas of
your sandbox that will represent each aspect of a real beach.
5. Mark a line in the sand that shows where the sand and ocean water on the beach meet. Explain
that this is called the shoreline. Give several children spray bottles filled with water, which has
been colored a bright blue with food coloring. Have them spray the "ocean" part of your sandbox
bright blue.
6. As those children are working, have other children spread seashells and sea kelp or seaweed
over the "beach" area. Let them freely choose where they want to place things. They can also
use a shovel and pail to move the sand around to form sand dunes, and the sand molds to
make sand castles.
7. While these two groups are working, a third group of children can be molding fish, octupi, sea
lions, oysters, snails, and other sea-dwelling creatures from clay or playdough. These creations
can be placed on the beach or in the "water" as the children desire. They will air dry quickly.
8. Stand back and enjoy your huge work of art!
More to do
Dramatic play: Plan a beach party day. Invite parents to come and have a picnic lunch. Encourage
them to bring their lawn chairs or beach blankets and invite them to lounge around INSIDE your
artwork.
