Comments on: How to Build a Sand Castle

on 1/23/2006 The best tools to use to make a well designed sand castle are the following:
Forks, knives and spoons (plastic)
Melon baller
Old paint brush to dust with
Measuring cups
Dull knives (butter knives)
Straw dusting
Funnel
Spatula
Paint stick
Bucket
Toothpicks
Bowls
Different sizes of Tupperware
Wooden spoons
Soup spoons
Lemon squeezer
Ice cream scoop
These are great tools to make the perfect sandcastle!

on 11/22/2005 When you make your tower(s) and everything is flat on top to bottom, gently draw your castle on the face of the wall (like you would on paper), then after you draw your castle, simply carve out the edges of your castle and go around the back and sides. Use a spatula for making sand flat and to scoop sand out of the bucket rather than your hand. Be quick, as soon as the sand that's dripping from your fingers touches the beach it's as solid as a rock. It gets so hard you can carry your castle tower from one part of the beach to the other and it won't break. You can use your bucket to make the tower while the sand is loose inside the bucket. Turn it over real fast and lift it up so the open side is facing the ground. Continue this to create a tower as tall as you want. There's no contest or rules, so cheat if you want.

As soon as you reach the top all there is next is a funnel. Block the hole, fill it with water and dirt, and this time dump it (like the bucket) on the tower and you will have the top of your castle. As always, you can shave the castle to your desired shape. Go from the edges and simply carve out your nice smooth shapes. If it's lumpy on the side, spill water on it at the same time shaving the edges.

If you want to make bridges, here's how:
If you have a foot wide wall from bottom to top, draw the shape of your bridge. At the edge of the sand (no need to dig in with any sharp objects you have), just draw lightly. After you draw your bridge and drawn 2 castles, start your carving. Carve in the shape below your drawing and after carving away you will soon find your bridge from one castle to the next. Extended it like magic in any shape you want.

If you find it hard to make roofs or houses, I'll help you with that now:
Make 4 walls and put 2 boards on the castle as roofs, pour the sand on top the boards and remove the boards away from the walls. The sand should be hard enough to remain in this shape after the boards have been removed. If not, draw th same way but only 3 inches thick, and keep building more and more sand and continue carving. Keep extending it till you have the size house you want.

If you want to save your castle, build it on a table. You don't need to be on a beach, you can do it in your garage.

on 11/22/2005 To make your castle look clean, use a straw to blow away any unwanted sand from the crevices. Bring along a large soft paintbrush to remove unwanted sand off of the flat surfaces.

on 11/22/2005 Some beaches have broken glass. Make sure to have bandages near by.

on 11/22/2005 Good compaction will yield cleaner carving of the sand castle's details. A spoon and putty knife can be handy tools. Dig a moat around the base and carefully add water.