Having a little corner with dirt or sand in our garden or balcony is one of the greatest gifts we can give a small child, especially if we are not lucky enough to live in the middle of the forest because we give them the possibility of coming into contact with “mother earth”. It may sound mystical to you, but I firmly believe that handling mud and sandbox for kids is a child’s necessity.
At home so far we have had an area of ?? soil that we were removing regularly to prevent the soil from becoming too compacted. The little one has gotten a lot out of it: digging, playing with trucks, moving dirt, etc. However, I have realized that a sandbox for kids can be used even more and that it can be very educational.
Sandbox for kids is more malleable and less compactable than earth and this allows children to build and unmake as much as they want more easily. For sample, this photo from a week ago. We went to the park with some friends and this is what they built. Excavations, construction of a river with a sand bridge, tunnels … Don’t tell me that it is not a learning experience!
So now we are immersed in a garden reform process to make a fun and educational sandbox possible and I have done so much research on it lately that I want to share what I have learned with you.
WHAT IS 2 KIDS 1 SANDBOX AND BENEFITS OF PLAYING WITH SAND
It stimulates creativity since it allows you to build with it, create mountains and slopes, make cakes, various concoctions, draw letters and drawings on it, etc.
Stimulates the senses: putting your hands in the sand provides different tactile sensations, it depends on whether it is dry or wet, whether it is hard (such as when it has not been stirred for a long time), or soft, etc. For example, on the beach we all watch our little ones slide the sand through their toes without stopping (we do it ourselves, right?). And then, when it’s wet, they build non-stop. A single material, two very different tactile sensations.
Improves motor skills: working in the sandbox for kids requires movement of the body, especially when making large excavations, but at the same time fine motor skills are used when outlining the details of a castle or drawing on the sand.
TRICKS TO CREATE A GOOD SANDBOX FOR KIDS
¿ What sand is used in a sandpit?
This is the most difficult question to answer because the quality of the sand largely depends on the fun and also the safety of the game. The most important thing is that the sand you use does not give off a fine powder that children can inhale.
So if you don’t have a lot of sands and granulometry … my recommendation is that you use washed river sand, natural sand that you can find in garden centers and which is also very economical.
They also sell, of course, specific game arenas. They meet the necessary conditions but their price is quite high.
Put an anti-weed mesh before placing the sand
Although it seems impossible … the herbs come out in the middle of the sand.
In the garden centers, they sell special fabrics that allow water to pass through but not sunlight. In this way, the herbs cannot grow.
Add water
Recognize that a sandbox for kids without water or a pile of dirt in which you can not make mud … is not half as fun as adding a little magic liquid … hahaha.
In case we opted for a simple water spout, as you can see in the image. If you want to see more options to add water for the little ones in the garden or terrace here.
Minimum depth
If you make a sandbox in the garden, the idea is that it should be at least 30 cm deep to be able to do good excavations, underground tunnels, wells, etc. In schools or parks, the ideal would be for them to have an approximate depth of 50-60 cm, but hey, I understand that at home making such a large hole may not be the best, hehe.
MATERIALS TO ENRICH THE GAME IN THE SAND
Perhaps many of you think that the materials for a litter box are reduced to the kit “bucket, shovel, rake” but the truth is that there are many more options that will open a world of new possibilities to the little ones:
Natural materials
1. Stones
Look what a cool idea. It’s from the Playtivities blog and it’s as simple as painting some white stripes on the stones… and we already have roads!
2. Sticks. With them, you can draw, make holes in the sand, etc.
3. Wood of different sizes (ideal for making constructions and whatever comes to mind. They favor unstructured outdoor play. You can read more about it here ).
4. Seashells
Plastic materials
1. Sand drill (ideal for use in sandboxes, on the beach and even in the mountains).
Paddle kit. It’s one of Terrícola’s favorite materials, hehe. It is used to make bricks, put “cement” where it is needed, and so on.
Plastic trucks. There are prepared to withstand the elements, such as those of the Goki brand.
Plastic animals to create different worlds and scenarios (dinosaurs, marine animals, forest animals, etc.)
Buckets, shovels, and rakes.
Kitchen materials and other household recycling
1. Strainers
2. Muffin molds
3. Old pots and saucepans
4. Pipes through which sand to slide
5. Wooden boards, to create bridges
SANDBOWS IDEAS
There is an ideal sandbox for each house, child, and personal preference of each family, nobody is going to be without! I show you some images in case they inspire you.
This is my favorite sandbox and I love it because it is surrounded by logs that can be balanced on and that children can sit on. Also, if you look closely, right next to the sandbox there is a dirt area that also invites you to play. The photograph is by Elite Childcare Solutions and here you can see how they made a similar one. 2 kids 1 sandbox original video can be watched on Youtube.
This sandpit is made with a trailer wheel. It is small but surely the ideal size for many terraces and gardens. The image is from Craftster.
Here is another sandbox that enhances the value of recycling. At The Homes, I Have Made they have turned a piece of furniture into a really cool sandbox.
Super sandbox made with huge stones (in the image we need to fill it with sand). Here you can see how they did it in Mummy musings and mayhem. Nintendo is the kids game and Nintendo Switch OLED First Showcase Review! Memory and Hardware
Classic square sandbox. You can do it yourself or buy it. The one in the picture is from Topludi.
And here are two solutions for very small sandboxes, to be able to put them anywhere. We have tried both. The first is a large box filled with sand and the second is an experiment table without the legs.
I hope I have given you enough ideas to have the litter box that best suits you. The truth is that it is an incredible resource for children, and as I said at the beginning … 100% educational!