Sand Sculptures

by Christine Dvornik

Age: Preschool and up
Time: An afternoon or more
Type of activity: Nature Arts and Crafts

Sure, your kids have made sandcastles before. This activity gives you a new way to create a sculpture with sand – and make it last.

Materials needed:
· Newspaper
· Large plastic or metal spoon
· Old cooking pot
· 3 cups of sand
· 1-1/2 cups of cornstarch
· 1-1/2 cups of water
· Mixing spoons
· Decorative items, such as seashells, stones, glitter, etc. (optional)
· Tempera paints (optional)
· Paintbrush (optional)

What to do:

Step One: Mix the sand, water, and cornstarch together in an old cooking pot.

Step Two: Stir the mixture over low heat until it thickens. (A grownup will need to help with this step.)

Step Three: Remove the mixture from the stove and let it cool.

Step Four: Lay several layers of newspaper on a table.

Step Five: Spoon the sand mixture onto the newspaper.

Step Six: Sculpt the sand mixture into whatever form you like. You can use molds and add decorative items to your sculpture, if you like.

Step Seven: Set your sculpture aside to dry. It will take anywhere from an hour to a few days to fully dry.

Step Eight: When your sculpture is dry, you can add some color with tempera paints.

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