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SAND & WATER THEME

CRAFTS:

Castle Building 101
If you're interested in building castles, here's a basic starting point for your Kids. Gather together various small shoe-size boxes, coloured markers, glue sticks, scissors, straws, string, pipe cleaners, construction paper, and cardboard tubes. Wrap coloured construction paper around a box taking care to let the paper extend above the box about 2 cm (this forms the outer wall). Let Kids draw bricks onto the construction paper and glue cardboard rolls to make towers. Use the string to make a drawbridge, the straws to make flags, and the pipe cleaners to make people. If you have large cardboard boxes available, why not make a giant, kid-sized castle? This project might take several weeks to complete but it is sure to be a hit.

Water Color Surprise
 Lay out white paper, water colors, paint brushes, water cups and masking tape. Rip off different lengths of masking tape and sticks it to the edge of the table. The children take these masking tape strips and tape them any way they want on their white construction paper. Use the watercolor paints to cover the their entire paper, tape and all. It is important that they paint the entire paper, otherwise the results are disappointing. When done hang them up to dry. Tell them to CAREFULLY pull their masking tape pieces off of their pictures. What appears? The WHITE spaces that were hiding under the masking tape that did not get painted. These are very striking, a fun surprise for the children.
 
 

GAMES & ACTIVITIES:

Air in There
"But why didn't it get wet?
"When you hear this question, simply give the answer: water couldn't get into the glass because it was full of air. The air couldn't escape because it was surrounded on all sides by the glass and the water. Therefore, the paper stayed dry. To illustrate this point, repeat the experiment, but this time, tip the glass to one side and allow the air to escape in huge bubbles.
There's no such thing as an empty glass! All glasses, even the ones that appear empty are in fact full -- full of air. Prove this to your disbelieving Children. All you'll need is a paper towel, a glass (preferably plastic), and a sink full of water.
1. Explain to your group that you're going to put the paper towel in the glass, then both into the full sink without getting the paper towel wet.
2. Push the paper towel into the bottom of the glass. Force it in tightly so when the glass turns upside down the paper won't fall out.
3. Holding the glass straight (but upside down) submerge it into the full sink. 
4. Ask your Children to count to ten slowly, then remove the glass from the water. The paper towel will be dry.
 

Charlie Tag
Equipment:  None
How to Play:  The group forms a circle around the one chosen to be "Charlie" and holds hands.  They then chant: 
Charlie over the ocean, 
Charlie over the sea, 
Charlie caught a great big fish 
But Charlie can't catch me! 
As soon as the song finishes, all the players quickly bend over to place both hands on the ground or floor.  "Charlie" tries to catch players before they have both hands down.  If Charlie succeeds, the two players change places.

Dry Sand, Wet Sand
Take a trip to the beach where you will find stand.  Let the kids take off their shoes and socks to feel sand in their feet.  Let them build sand castle in the wet sand.  Have them whole dry sand in one hand and wet sand in the other.  Ask them which is heavier?  Tell them to spread their fingers apart.  What happens?  What will happen to their Sandcastle when the sun dries the sand?

Making Sand
Have a variety of sandstone rocks available on a table outside.  Let the kids run to stones together to make some sand.  Let the kids feel the sand greens.  And have them feel some soil.  How are they different?  Ask them if they can't think of anything else that feels grainy like sand.  Let the kids experiment with the sand grain made by adding a little water and rubbing the sand on a piece of wood by using a cloth.  What happens to the wood?

Make a Pebble Collection 
Look along the banks of a creek or River.  Take a law a small container in which to place pebbles.  Fill container with pebbles and water.  I observe pebbles in water.  Do they sparkle?  Are the colors vivid?  Feel what pebbles.  Are they slippery?  Let some pebbles dry in the sun.  How did the pebbles changed?  Make at dry pebble collection in a carton.  Put a wet pebble collection and star foam egg carton; add water.  Have the children talk about the comparisons.  Shake the pebbles together in a box.  Do they get shinier?

Mary Had a Little Clam
Take a trip to a fish store to get some clams.  How do kids study that shall and described how it looks.  Cook the shell for a few minutes in water.  Open it up and let the kids feel and smell the creature inside.  What does it look like?  How can you find a mouth?  How do you think it moves?  Count the growth rings on the Shell.  Bring some seaweed back to your meeting area with you if you can.

Sand Castle Building
Equipment:  sand, wading pool, containers
How to Play:  Depending on what arrangements can be made for permission and clean up, bring in a child's wading pool filled with sand for making sand castles. Do this outside if possible. Provide various-sized containers and create a sand village! If you cannot use real sand, create a seaside village using different shapes of boxes and cardboard tubes. The Kids can colour doors, flowers and windows on their houses, if they wish.

Seaweed Salad
Go to health store to purchase some seaweed.  The seaweed from the ocean should be washed several times in fresh water.  Spread it out on paper toweling and let it dry in the sun.  When dry, he can cut it into pieces and that each child taste it.  Ask them what it cases like.  How does it feel in your mouth?  What color is it?  Seaweed can also be used in salads.

Shell Hunt 
Gather together a large variety as seashells.  In coastal areas, go out and collects shells along the beach.  In other areas, octane shells from home collections, or museum nature loan departments.  Tell the children that these are dead shells.  The animal that lived in the Shell is gone, and the sand dulls the colors of the shells and the sea was some parts worn away or broken.  When they were alive, what do you suppose lived in these shells?  Where are shells found for those who are not near the sea?  I observe colors, feel textures inside and out, hold at ear.  Classify and sort at as to size, color and shape.  Find biggest, smallest.  Arrange a variety of shells in size order.

Skipping Stones
Look for flat or slightly rounded stones, and pile them up in a central area so everyone can try skipping them over the water surface. Throw stones across the water with a sideways twist (as you would throw a tiny frisbee) so it skims and bounces across the surface before sinking. Count the number of bounces each stone makes. 

The Sounds of Streams and River 
Walk along a brook or River.  Listen for the sound of water as it runs over rocks, around fallen branches, and along the bank.  Take along a tape recorder to tape sound of the brook.  Weather permitting, go outside during a rainstorm.  Listen for rain drops in puddles.  Record the sounds of rain.  Look for flowing water in trains and gutters.  Record be sounds.  When many sounds of streams and rain have been collected, listen to your tape.  Have they kids try to identify the location by the water sound.  What other sounds did you hear?  Were they louder or softer than the water?  Note: good time to review water safety around Brooks and rivers.

SONGS:

Have any good songs? Let us know!
 

STORIES:

Have any good stories? Let us know!
 

FOOD SUGGESTIONS:

Have any good food ideas? Let us know!
 

TIPS/NOTES: