sand play – happy hooligans
No doubt about it, kids love to play in a sandbox, but what do you do if you don’t have a sandbox in your yard, or if you live in an apartment? You create a DIY sand table! 
Sometimes it’s fun to take an activity that your child enjoys regularly, and present it in a new way. It can breathe new life into the activity, spark creativity, or simply provide your child with a “change of scenery” so to speak.
Great for small spaces, apartments, patios etc.
That’s what I was thinking when I decided to create this DIY sand table. It’s a great sand play idea for kids who don’t have access to a backyard sandbox!
Our sandbox is probably the most popular place to play in our backyard. There are lots of things to do in our yard, but not every one will climb the ladder to the playhouse.
Some children aren’t comfortable with the tire swings and the slide. Not everyone is confident enough to walk our tightrope or to climb on the the play logs, so the sandbox provides a safe place to have a ton of fun.
Kids love sand! 
And this is a great way to provide them with a sand activity when you don’t have a sandbox.
How to Make it:
Pick up a bag of sandbox sand at any Home Depot or Garden Center, and dump a generous amount into a big bowl or a shallow storage container. You could even do this indoors if you placed a large vinyl tablecloth down on the floor. I think we may have to try that this winter when our outdoor sand is frozen. 
I added a little water to our sand today so the hooligans could make mud-pies, and I provided some items of interest: buttons, chopped up straws, spoons, cups and scissors. 
I set the bowl of sand and the various tools and items on a table in the back yard, and the girls played at it for almost an hour.
When they were done, I simply let the sand dry in the sun for the afternoon, and then I dumped and swept it back into the bag where it will stay until the next time we want to play with sand out-of-the-box again. 🙂 Then I simply gave the table and the tools a spray from the garden hose. 
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Jackie is a mom, wife, home daycare provider, and the creative spirit behind Happy Hooligans. She specializes in kids’ crafts and activities, easy recipes, and parenting. She began blogging in 2011, and today, Happy Hooligans inspires more than 2 million parents, caregivers and Early Years Professionals all over the globe.
