Happy summer to all our Tender Year families! Summer is the time for warm days, hot nights, and of course an annual trip to the beach. This year we want to help you step up your beach game, so we put together some new, fun, and family friendly ideas. Check out our top 5 must haves for an epic beach trip this summer.
Beach Survival Kit
A great trip to the beach can start before you get there. Put together a list of things to help you survive the trip on the way to and at the beach. We would fill our buckets with: Rash guards, Goggles/Sunglasses, Bubbles, Coloring books, Crayons, Snacks, Water bottle and a Beach towel. Let them pick out a thing or two for their bucket.
See Shells
You know they will end up with pockets (and pockets) full of shells, beach glass, and stones. Why not use them to create a keepsake to help you remember they day. Check out this awesome Beach Treasure Wind chime. You can bring home their treasures to use later or take a roll of copper wire and scavenge a piece of drift wood for an onsite craft that will keep them occupied as you catch a few more rays.
Stamp of Approval
They will love to make their mark on the beach (literally) with these cool beach stamp flip flops. Buy or cut out foam shapes and glue them to the bottom of clean flip flops. As they walk in the sand their cut outs will leave an impression. (This is good for trips to parks that have sand too!)
Good Eats
Elevate your standard picnic fare with these easy to take-along recipes with a multicultural flair with Enchanted “Sushi” Roll-ups, Fruit and Smore Cones and Agua Fresca.
Your kids might not be ready for real sushi but these fun little rollups are actually just sandwiches! Though they look like the real thing they are super kid friendly. Chopsticks at the beach? We say why not.
Fruit and Smore Cones are a great grill friendly after-dinner option because well ice cream melts. (Plus, they have fruit in them.) They are pretty much just fruit and marshmallows in a waffle cone. Stick them in some tin foil and throw them in the grill.
Agua Fresca is a great soda alternative. It translates to fresh water, and is pretty much water, a teeny bit of sugar and lime juice, and different types of cut up fruit. Want to up the ante? Cut up the fruit into fun shapes. We can’t think of a more refreshing beverage to pack for a long beach day.
Science Experiment
Make it an educational experience. Sand is good for more than just sand castles, it’s a treasure trove of different shells, rocks and minerals. Bring along a piece of black felt or construction paper and have kids spread out a small scoop of sand over it. They can study the different properties of the granules; looking at size, shape, and color. Take along a magnet (enclosed in a sandwich baggie for easy clean-up) and run it over the sand to pick up the bits of particles than contain iron. Check out some cool photos of sand from an “ant’s point of view” here.
And last but not least, if a beach trip is not in your plans this summer or if you are having beach withdrawals later in the year, how about bringing the beach to you with a Beach in a Box. The addition of corn starch to the sand makes sand castle building a breeze and the rolling storage container makes clean up and storage as easy as a summer breeze. (For less than $20!)
What are some of your favorite things to do with your kids at the beach? Please comment below!
