Skip to main content

Why Did You Move the Toys?

We have a rather large sandbox in our backyard. When it was first built, it took a HUGE dump truck to deliver 19 tons of sand to fill it. (I'm quite certain that we no longer have 19 tons in the sand box, because I have to have vacuumed at least one ton of it up as it has migrated inside ;0.)

It is very tricky to build a sandbox on a hill. Our entire play yard is on a slope, and is at quite a steep angle in some areas. When we get a lot of rain (or melting snow) it causes our sand to pile up at the back edge of the sandbox. We could of course let it build up there and it will slowly slide through the cracks in our fence and end up in the parking lot below. I'm not so certain that the store located there would appreciate it all that much though.

So, our mission over the past couple of days has been to remove all of the play equipment (slides and climbers) and to move the sand to even out our sandbox again.

The shovels weren't really cutting it, so we decided to see how well our "Yooper Scoopers" would work on the sand. Unfortunately, they are made to move snow and when it comes to moving sand, they were a little too heavy. So, we went back to using our shovels and toy dump trucks.

You know, you can't move this much sand and not make a mountain......

And.... you can't have a mountain without some dinosaurs.......

And.... where there are dinosaurs, there has to be a volcano!

And.... you never know when that volcano may start to erupt....

Of course, once the volcano erupted and the dinosaurs were put away, we had to crush the mountain.

The next morning, some of our other friends arrived to find an "empty" sandbox. "Where did the slide go?" What were we going to do? What could we play with?

"Look, that looks a little bit like a mountain!"

"Let's build it bigger!"


"I wonder if I can scoop the sand?"

"Let's pat the sand down."


"Hey, do you think it is big enough?"

"Let's build another one!"




"Can I take my shoes off?" "Oh, that feels COLD!"

"Let's make (snow) sand angels!"

"I can climb the mountain!!! Stomp, stomp, stomp!"

One of our friends from last night arrived, and of course, it was time to erupt another volcano!


And... to climb and crush the mountain....


Or.... belly slide down?

Jump, Stomp, Squish!

"Look at all the footprints!"


Circle Up.... Hmmm.. What Could We Do Next?

Comments

Anonymous said…
it is amazing how kids can still find so much to do even when all the necessary plastic toys have been removed!
Adorable! I love their ingenuity, too. :) That is one big sand box y'all have got.
Now that is some sandpit! I love the story your pictures tell - so much imagination, creativity and fun!
Thanks! We love our sandbox. I think it is going to be awhile before we bring the "toys" back.
Thanks for sharing this with our carnival - I love how the scale was just big enough for the children to get stuck in and climb up the volcano.

Popular posts from this blog

Easter Egg Caterpillars!

OOOPS! This post has moved, please click on the photo to be redirected!

My friend died

 I learned a hell of a lot from Dan Hodgins.  He was mentor, a friend, and a "bone shaker" for many of us in the field of Early Childhood Education. He was and will always be a champion for children, and protector of childhood.   I have so many great memories of time spent with him, it just doesn't seem like we had enough time. Dan died this past Saturday.  Interestingly enough, Dan and I talked about death quite a bit. It is one of those topics that isn't talked about all that much in our field, but is super important. All living things eat, all living things poop, and all living things die.  Dan and I recorded a podcast for awhile called "Shaking Bones." Dan was always shaking bones, even before I met him. To say I was honored to be asked to be his co-host would be putting it lightly. I loved recording with him. He was never afraid to touch on topics that were a bit edgy, or issues that sometimes weren't talked about much at all.  We even...

A Few Ideas With Marker Caps (As Promised)

Yesterday, I hope I convinced you not to throw away your markers that "don't work." Today, I will share with you a few ideas for what to do with all of the caps. The possibilities are nearly endless, but here are a few of our recent creations: 1) A Leprechaun/Fairy Ladder/Rope Ladder: 2) #1 if not permanently secured can also double as a rope bridge: 3) #1/#2 can also be made into a train track for your homemade trains :). (No photo available) 4) You can use them as beads for a necklace: 5) You could make them into a wind chime. (No photo available). 6. You can use them as small manipulatives to count, sort, and make patterns with. (No photo available). 7) You could use them as playing pieces in your own homemade board game. (No photo available). 8) You could put them on a wire and glue them in place to make a twirling whirly-gig. 9) You could top them with a lid from a milk jug to make tiny tables or toadstools. 10) You could make them...