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Sand castles made easy

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Almost anyone can make a really cool sand castle, if you know the basics.

My information is dedicated to the average beach family that would like to learn the tricks to making cool looking sand castles. I have seen many families with small kids arrive at the beach, start digging a hole or piling up sand to keep the little ones occupied. They may have some of the usual plastic "forms" to pack sand in to make some nice little castle creations, which can certainly be fun for little tots. But how do you and your more ambitious older kids really make an outstanding sand castle? I am asked this all the time. Since learning the basics myself and spending a little more time at it I have more and more people ask if I do sand sculpting for a living. (No I do not. But I consider that a very nice compliment!) A few basic laws of physics to learn and you will improve your results immediately.

This is the true story of how I became "hooked" on sand sculpting.
It all started for me a few years back when my 7 year old son and 4 year old daughter wanted to enter a sand sculpting contest at the resort we were vacationing at in Maui. I explained "I don't know how to build castles- much less enter a contest!" the kids were disappointed.
Later that night I pulled out my laptop (of course only to be used in emergency while on vacation, and this was indeed an emergency) I searched the web for "sand castles". I was amazed at how simple it looked on some of the You Tube videos and other simple tutorials.
The next morning I went out, eager to test my new skills.WOW! After an hour or so I had a crowd standing there asking if I had ever entered a contest before. That castle is the photo you see here above with the title. Hey! I am not a professional and do not claim to be! (My daughter added the white berries from a nearby shrub)

The following day we entered the contest and won. My kids were very pleased. I was their hero.
$50 worth of credit to the gift shops was the prize. ( Hey, not bad-this was before the recession).

I am now hooked. I love to build castles and enjoy the social interaction, not to mention good bonding time with the kids. Be the cool Dad or Mom on the beach- learn the tricks!

TIP # 1: Build above the tide line

You don't want it to get destroyed before you finish, right?

First thing you have to consider- where to build. I am not going to lie to you. Doing a nice castle takes some exercise. It is rough on the back as well so be careful. Water and sand are very heavy and you will need to carry buckets of water to your area, not the other way around. Do not get caught in the wave area an hour into your project. The tide sneaks up on you fast. When you arrive at the beach take a look at last night's peak for the tide. (see example in the inset photo here.) You will usually see a debris line of ocean plant residue, depending on the season.
Build approximately 3 or 4 feet on the opposite side of the ocean and also look for a high point in the area. This allows you greater height on your project which always helps your castle look better.

TIP # 2: Lots of water

The pros will tell you "Add sand to water, not water to sand" they are right!

Once you have your sight selected you need to build a great foundation. This is one of the keys to longevity (more than a few hours) for your castle. It also is the key to being able to carve details without collapsing. Start hauling buckets of water to your sight. This is where having several people involved can make a huge difference. You will likely see other kids want to help and you should use their help here. Pour a lot of water on the dry sand area where you will build. As you pour water, start piling the wet sand up and begin packing it as high as you can and as wet as possible. The gravity of wet sand does most of the work to tighten the binding of sand to water. I find having a person in charge of the pile is the best approach. Just keep pouring water and mixing wet sand up as high as possible. Once you have a decent pile a couple of feet high start pouring a mixture of 1/2 sand and 1/2 water from each bucket. It should pour like mud and then firm up in a few seconds.
This is the good stuff for carving. You can also make wet sand patties and stack those for towers. The key is to practice and you will catch on.
As you can see I am fond of incorporating the "drip" method into my castles.
The sand that drips like this is the right consistency for the best carving. This also demonstrates how wet the sand should be for proper carving.

TIP # 3: Carve from the top down

Don't have sand drop all over your hard work.

This is the one that everyone has that "DUH" moment when I explain. Once your wet pile is ready for sculpting start carving at the highest point and move down. You can't go back up and do more work later because waste sand will ruin what it falls on. The sand you scrape and carve away simply follows the laws of gravity and lands on whatever lies below it. You have to keep this in mind as you sculpt- keep a vision in your mind of what you want to create and remove anything that is not part of your plan. It does take a lot of time and patience but you get better every time you build. After doing all the carving I like to finish by doing some drip work details. This takes practice as well to keep from ruining other areas as you drip. Finish off by spraying bottled water over the castle to help preserve it. (Spray with tap water not salt water as salt water clogs the spray bottle)

This photo below is our winning castle for the contest during our vacation.

Our first winning castle 

One of my "church" castles using a combination of dripping and carving. 

sharked!

sharked! 

The "full" shark 

A simple trick to bricks or stones is to cut lines then blow out the loose sand with a straw 

Ancient Castle

Ancient Castle 

Castle 2010

Seal Beach, CA 2009 

Experiment-I added lit candles to this one from Jan 2009 

The Drip Castle Video

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REDONDO BEACH 2011

Before sunset and fireworks begin

SEAL BEACH 2011

Notre Dame Cathedral... sort of.

Hawaii 2011

A cool set of sculpting tools

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What are the best kinds of sand for sculpting?

The quality of your beach sand will limit the fine details you can add

Here are links that will provide information about different sand quality.
For example in the Los Angeles area Long Beach is supposed to have good sculpting sand. I have found in our local area the best sand is in South Redondo Beach while Hermosa Beach is not as good and only a mile or two up the coast. Learn more about sand quality factors here.
Interesting sand grain facts
"Muddy" sand seems to be the best but certainly hard to find.
Technical information about formation of sand and the effects on carving.
Sand Art & Play
Tidal beaches generally have sand that limits height and structure because of the shape of the sand grains. Good sand sculpture sand is somewhat dirty, having silt and clay that helps lock the irregular shaped sand grains together.

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The Egyptian - Laguna Beach 2009 

Princess Castle for my daughter 

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