| During a recent visit to a school carnival, I noticed | | | | shapes and sizes makes a beautiful display, and |
| a particularly large crowd gathered at a sand art | | | | can be customized for holidays, or to complement |
| booth. I tried to steer my children toward a less | | | | your own decor. Add feathers, googly eyes and |
| messy activity, but to no avail. Seated around | | | | chenille stems to create fun sand friends. You can |
| two long tables were children, from kindergarten | | | | even buy candy sand kits, which allow kids (or |
| aged to sixth grade, feverishly creating | | | | adults!) to layer powdered candy in tubes, much |
| ocean-themed paintings using sand. These young | | | | like layering sand in bottles. You can also find sand |
| artists were peeling away different sections of | | | | mixed with glitter, which creates a dazzling effect |
| adhesive-backed boards (also known as | | | | both on expression boards and in bottles. |
| expression boards), then applying a sand color of | | | | Just a few days after purchasing my own |
| their choosing. This process was repeated, section | | | | supplies, I received a request from a teacher to |
| by section, until a completed sand painting was | | | | help with an upcoming classroom party. Guess |
| formed. | | | | what I took? Colored sand, expression boards, |
| I stood there, fascinated by what I saw. The | | | | and squeeze bottles. The activity was a huge |
| colors of the sand were mesmerizing - from | | | | success. The kids were all engaged and focused |
| ultrafine pale pink that looked like diamond dust, to | | | | on their sand paintings. Many commented |
| a vibrant laser red. It was like I was standing in a | | | | enthusiastically on one another's creations. |
| prism. There was a wide range of scoops, | | | | Another positive about sand art is that the |
| shakers, and squeeze bottles to assist the young | | | | supplies themselves are inexpensive and last a |
| artists in sand placement. Each container of sand | | | | long time. One jar of sand can be used for |
| had its own funnel, which proved indispensable in | | | | several different projects. And what I once |
| returning loose sand to its rightful place. | | | | deemed a messy activity is no different than |
| After leaving the carnival with a couple of very | | | | using clay or paint. Using a drop cloth, newspapers, |
| satisfied, happy artists and their newly created | | | | or even a cookie sheet will keep the sand |
| paintings, I decided that I would obtain my own | | | | confined to the work area. |
| sand art supplies. Not only did I find what I was | | | | Whether at the kitchen table, in the classroom or |
| looking for online, but I also discovered that | | | | at a community event like a carnival, sand art |
| expressions boards are just the tip of the | | | | truly is a fascinating and affordable creative |
| sandberg, so to speak. Filling bottles of various | | | | artistic outlet. |