Sand Art for Kids

We all know sand and kids go together! Usually sand is sculpted on the beach and its naturally tactile qualities make it ideal for playtime. Many children have sand pits in the garden to play with ideal for scooping, pouring and mixing. Sand art uses these skills to create pictures – ideal for a rainy day.

Basic Essentials

Sand art is good fun and simple to do. It is easy to do at home with a few essentials. There are also kits available to buy which have all the equipment needed and contain pre-adhesive pictures, ready for you to decorate with sand. Simply peel off a portion of the picture, cover with sand and shake off excess, then peel the next section and pour on the next colour. Continue until the picture is complete.

There is also sand art where brightly coloured sands are poured into clear bottles of various shapes such as angel fish, parrots, shells and even a miniature Father Christmas! Each colour is poured in separately and the result is a rainbow of sand visible through the bottle. Kids love this coloured sand and get stuck into the creativity of the differing colours.

There are even computer games for sand art painting! Visitors to the Isle of Wight will know of the coloured sands where you can make your own sand souvenir.

Types of Sand

The sand needs to be fine so you can use sand pit sand if it has been strained first. You could try colouring your own sand using coloured powder paints.

You can make it as easy or complex as you wish so you can tailor it to suit various age ranges. For younger children they can make patterns by squirting glue directly onto card, then sprinkling with one colour of sand. Older children can draw their own picture and glue an area at a time.

Make Your Own

Essentials:

• Coloured sand
• Tray –preferably with pouring spout
• Glue
• Card
• Pen

Step 1
Draw a simple picture onto card. You can choose a drawing from your computer and print it out but it should not have too much detail or this will be lost. If you are using a kit then the picture is already made for you.

Step 2
Decide if you want to make an outline or cover a whole area, and apply PVA glue to it. Here the outlines of the petals were covered with glue but the whole petals could have been glued. With a kit you only need to peel back the protective paper as it is already self-adhesive.

Step 3
Place the card into a plastic tray and pour one colour of sand on the glue, ensuring all of the glue is covered liberally. If possible leave to dry before shaking off the excess sand in to the tray and returning it to the pot. Then you can apply more glue and another colour. With younger children it will be best just to use one colour of sand for the whole project.

Arty Ideas

Why not try some of the following:

• Fish
• Flowers
• Butterflies
• Names

Remember – sand on the beach should stay on the beach. It is not allowed to take home bucketfuls for your play! Sand is needed to prevent coastal erosion.

Warning

This is not suitable for children under 3 years old because of small parts. During all creative play it is best to ensure children are wearing aprons and work surfaces and carpets are covered with protective sheeting.