Sandcastle Row
What you need
- a sandpit or a big tray of play sand
- a bucket and a few plastic cups of different sizes
- a spade or a big spoon
- a jug of water
How to do it
- Dampen the sand with a little water from the jug, just enough for it to hold together when squeezed.
- Show them how to pack a cup full, pat the top flat, flip it over and lift it off slowly.
- Make a row of castles from the biggest bucket down to the smallest cup.
- Ask which castle is tallest and which is smallest, then knock them down and build the row the other way round.
Why it matters
Dry sand slides and damp sand stands up, a difference they find with their own hands long before anyone explains it.
What they're learning
- Packing firmly
- Press, pat and flatten before the flip.
- Biggest to smallest
- Lining castles up by size.
- Wet and dry
- Feeling when the sand is just right.
What to look for
Notice them pressing the sand down harder after a castle crumbles.
A tip
Cover a sandpit when you finish so animals stay out, and brush sand off hands before anyone rubs their eyes.
Make it easier or harder
Easier: use just the bucket and one cup, and let them pat and flip as often as they like
Harder: press in doors and windows with a finger and dig a moat round the row with the spoon
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Sensory activities · Toddler activities with a spoon · Toddler activities with cups · Toddler activities with a tray · Toddler water activities