5 Ways to do Art At the Beach

Going on a beach vacation? There are so many art ideas you can do while you are at the beach. We recently returned from Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island in Canada. We spent a bit of time at the beach in both places. It was not the best weather most of the time so I didn't get to do as much beach art activities as I had planned and then once I got there I found it nice to just relax and let the kids be.  Kids really don't need much entertaining while at the beach, but I could see if you lived close to a beach having a few new activities up your sleeve to get the kids playing again.  There really are so many artistic things to do if you are at a beach. This is the list I have compiled

1. Sandcastles (obviously)

These are done just as easily with or without buckets and shovels.  Shovels help, but my kids enjoy using their hands more than shovels anyway.  Grace loved me pretending we were making a castle and talking about which tower the princess lived in and where the prince lived.  I also noticed that once I started building with my kids they got really involved, but also all the other kids from other families came over to play too.  Kids love an adult that plays with them so be sure to get into the sand and get dirty with your kids.

2. Sand Sculptures (my favorite)

These are done by thinking of an animal or object you want to create and then putting the sand into that shape and working with it until it looks about right.  Things I saw other people easily do were snakes, suns, and alligators.  James and I made a turtle.

It made a fun play riding toy for Grace after we were done.

3.  Drip Castles  (something I did as a kid)


Drip castles are done in the very wet sand.  Sand that is in the shallow water.  You take the wet sand and hold it in your hand in such a way that it starts to drip out like a faucet on the lowest setting.  It builds up and up to make a fun sculpture.  It is fun to make a whole city of drip castles.

4.  Sea Shell/rock mandalas or pictures (didn't do on our trip)


I love looking for shells.  Who doesn't?  It is one of the joys of the beach.  Taking a long walk along the shore  and looking for treasures is so nice and relaxing.  We found a lot of fun shells and collected them.  Some we made into necklaces when we got home and others are sitting in a jar ready for a project some other day.  While at the beach I made a few mandalas with mine, but it is also fun to make land art with them.  I found a few great pictures of land art that I will share.

from L. Gruger Arts and Travels

Richard Shilling featured at the artful parent

5.  Sand Line Drawings

Find a long stick and you are good to go.  Most people love writing their names in the sand so why not do a whole line drawing?

What fun things do you like to do at the beach?  Do you have a post or a picture of this?  Share in the comments if you do.  I would love to add to my ideas.

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