Sand-Tastic!

Unique Beach Fun for Families

"The waves echo behind me. Patience – Faith – Openness, is what the sea has to teach. Simplicity – Solitude – Intermittency … But there are other beaches to explore. There are more shells to find. This is only a beginning."

– Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Dr. Kennon Sheldon, noted professor of psychology at the University of Missouri, has noted that, "“The sum of having a lot of good moments adds up to a good life. And these are what makes for a good moment: feeling that your activities are self-chosen and self-endorsed, feeling that you are effective in your activities, feeling a sense of closeness to others, and self-esteem.”

Well, the good Doctor Sheldon may may call it "a good moment," but we it we laypeople know that what he's really describing:

A Day at the Beach.

Yes, there's something about those moments of bliss when sand, sun, water, family and friends combine to create the ultimate in stress-free vacationing. Whether we’re building sandcastles, re-inking our tans, exploring the fascinating worlds deep beneath the sea, pitting our patience and a rod-and-reel assembly against the instincts of marine life, or simply reading a good book while the children play nearby, there’s something about the oceanfront experience that’s just good for the soul.

Now, that summer is here, we encourage we hope you and your family will take at least one day to find yourselves at a beach (whatever that may look like for you!). And we figure that by now you know all the basics of beach fun for families. We're guessing you know about beach volleyball, about picnics and sandcastles and Frisbees thrown to dogs. That’s why, in this FamilyFans.com article, we’ve decided to something a little more "Sand-Tastic..." something a little bit out of the ordinary.

So, next time you go the beach, take with you one or two of these all-new, exotic, utterly unique, “Sand-Tastic” activities for families. Go ahead and pack it in next to the Frisbee. After all, life's to short to let it be boring for your family...especially someplace as wonderful as the beach!

Enjoy!

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Beach Pitz

Here’s a fun game for the active family members in your crew…but first a little background.

Many years ago, archaeologists discovered an ancient Mayan hieroglyph that described an apparently popular ball sport translated today as “Pitz.” This soccer-style game used a rubber ball (either the size of a baseball or a soccer ball) and a huge “goal” (a stone ring hung on a wall). Teams would try to hit the ball to each other and through the goal – without allowing the ball to touch the ground, and without allowing the ball to touch their hands or their feet.

Today you can play a family-adapted form of Pitz, right on the beach of your choice! First, you'll want to get a soft ball – such as a beach ball or soccer ball – and bring it with you. (If no ball is available, you can crumple several sheets of paper to form a smaller, baseball-sized ball.)

Next go out to the beach and dig a shallow a hole in the sand – this will be your “goal.” When you're ready, gather your family about 20 feet away from the goal, and then hit your ball into the air to set it in play. Once the ball is in play, have your family members work together to: a) keep it from touching the ground, and b) bat it forward until one of you can finally knock it into the hole. Repeat as often as you like.

Time yourselves to see what kind of world record you can set in Beach Pitz!

If you have four or more players, you can also make two goals and play the game in teams, each team trying to score in the other’s goal.

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Sand Jewelry

This is a great activity for the creative young entrepreneur(s) in your family.

Sure, you could build a sand castle on the beach – if you want to be like everyone else in the world. But why not try something new with your sand-sculpting prowess? With a little imagination – and an abundance of sand-balls – you can create your own beachside “store” of sand jewelry. Here’s how:

First, you’ll need a bucket, a shovel, a blank stretch of beach, sand-carving tools (such as a butter knife, a fork, a spoon, a straw, and so on), and a little imagination.

Next, you’ll need to pick a spot on the beach that’s neither too far away from, nor too close to, the water. Dig a big hole in the sand there, digging down until you reach the water table (until the bottom of the hole fills with water). Pile the excavated sand nearby, as you will use that as the “shelf” on which to display your jewelry. When you’re ready, use a bucket to collect some water from the ocean so you can make sure that all of your excavated sand is plenty wet. Shape that wet mound of sand into a flat-topped shelf that you can use to display your jewelry. When the shelf is in reasonably acceptable form, powder it with plenty of dry sand to help it harden. Then, go back to your hole in the sand. This will become the “mine” from which you gather the sand to create your jewelry.

The key to making sand jewelry lies in your ability to make carve-able “sand balls,” so at this point let us applaud the folks at SandCastleCentral.com for their fine advice on how to do this.

According to SandCastleCentral.com, it takes two globs of wet sand and one glob of drier sand to make a good ball. First, start with a layer of very wet sand in your hand. Next, add a second later of drier (but not completely dry) sand onto that. Then slap one last layer of wet sand on top of it all. Pass the resulting glob of wet-dry-wet sand back and forth in your hands until it all forms one gooey mess. According to the experts, “It should still be pretty wet – wet enough that it will drip between your fingers if you stop tossing it around.” At this point, you should roll the sand glob in very dry sand to help it harden up and become something you can mold into an oval or a ball. You’ll want to use this technique to make several sand balls of varying shapes and sizes to use for your jewelry art. Feel free to make some sand balls as big as your fist (for large jewels), and others as small as a quarter (for smaller, pearl-sized jewels).

Once you have a sand ball that you like, lay it out on your “shelf” and then use your carving tools to sculpt pendants, pearls, diamonds, earrings, and whatever else catches your fancy. Use your straw to blow away excess carving sand. Pretty soon you’ll have an entire “retail outlet” of sand-sculpted jewelry to show off to anyone who comes by.

Be sure to take a picture of your best pieces so you’ll have something to remind of your day spent in sandy artisan­ship at the beach!

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Slate Carving

Along the beaches of the Caribbean, in the tradition of the ancient Maya, today’s residents of Belize practice the art of slate carving.  Typically this involves etching an elaborate image onto the surface of a smooth, black, rock. Of course, you don’t have to be from Belize in order to unleash your ancient Mayan artist within – your vacationing family members can try their hands at this type of artistic expression themselves. Here’s how.

First, locate a few smooth, black, slate stones. You might find these at a riverbed near your home, or at a hobby store that sells polished rocks. (Check your local listings for hobby stores near you.) Take these with you to the beach. You'll also want to bring a long a few sharp – but safe – tools (such as the edge of a fork, a butter knife, or an extended paper clip).

While you're relaxing at the beach, take out your rocks and tools and experiment to see which tool leaves the best impression in your stone. Then have family members create etching masterpieces on their rocks. Encourage kids to try to carve out images of things they see at the beach, like a local bird, a cool house on the short, a canoe, a lifeguard, a shell, and so on.

For best results, consider drawing your design at home onto paper first, and then copying it (as best you can) as an etching onto your black stone. When you are done, take these stone art pieces back to your home as a tangible memory of your vacation experience at the beach.

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Sand-Tastic!