Homemade Sand Table
Sensory experiences are extremely important to young children's growth and development. This DIY sand table will actively engage your toddler's senses, while providing a fun, entertaining play surface. Adding simple toys like shovels, buckets and cars and other small toys can add to the sand table's fun. This table can be made to fit your available space, making it a great option for apartment dwellers or those with limited outdoor area.
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Instructions
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1
Choose your plastic tub. Several varieties of plastic tote-type storage tubs will work for this project. The best tub will easily fit on your table and will have short sides that your child can easily reach into.
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2
Measure your tub, and mark these measurements onto your table.
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3
Saw to remove the area you marked on your table. This will form a hole where your plastic tub will sit.
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4
Place a thick line of glue or epoxy around the edge of the hole you made in your table, and place your tub in the hole. The edge of the tub should rest on the table, sitting in the line of glue or epoxy.
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5
Allow the glue to dry as per the manufacturer's instructions.
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6
Pour the play sand into the plastic tub. The amount of sand you will need with vary with the size of your container and the your desired sand depth. Play sand can be found at most hardware or home improvement stores.
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7
Add your toys. Be creative with your toy choices; nontraditional toys like measuring cups, spoons and pots and pans can help provide a unique play experience for your child.
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Tips & Warnings
This homemade sand table can also be filled with other materials; popcorn kernels, beans, water and rice are all fun options that provide different sensory experiences.
Sand tables can be quite messy. To minimize clean up, use the sand table in an easy-to-clean area and catch spills with a flat sheet placed under the plastic tub.
To make the table even more portable, skip step 4 and just allow the plastic tub to rest in the hole without gluing. You can then break the sand table down for easier storage when you are finished using it.
Always supervise your child while playing at or in the sand table.
If in doubt about the size of the hole you should cut into your table top, always cut smaller! You can always make the hole bigger, but it can never be made smaller. Always err on the side of caution.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit playing with sand image by Cherry-Merry from Fotolia.com
