Yesterday the kids were construction workers in the sand, today they were archaeologists on a dig!
For this version of an at-home sandbox, I added a few new elements to a big storage bin already filled with sand and small pebbles from outside. I added dried black beans for texture (perhaps these were fossils, or chunks of cooled lava from the dinosaurs demise!). Then I buried plastic dinosaur toys. You could also use plastic dinosaur skulls or bones, if you have toy parts like this.
Finally, for my budding paleontologists, I added paint brushes to gently brush away the sand from their finds, and a magnifying glass.
Both my kids loved it, each in their age-appropriate way! Veronika just loved all the sensory elements, including running the paintbrush through the sand.
She also enjoyed the dinosaurs for play, roaring and marching them through the sand.
“Ooh! Dinosaur!” she said, peering through the magnifying glass.
Big brother Travis understood the imaginative element of being on a “dig” much better.
He loved carefully using the paintbrush’s bristles to unearth dinosaurs, then named them (“This is the badabasaurus”) before moving them over to a “museum” on the side.
The sandbox bin kept them entertained for ages!
Cover your storage bin with the lid when you’re done and it’s ready to pull out soon for more adventures.
