Build a Sandcastle Play Dough Kits

Build a Sandcastle Play Dough Kits | Mama Papa Bubba

It’s no secret that Miss G and I like to create and give little homemade gifts.  I’ve always loved giving gifts and it’s important to me that Gracen sees that there’s just as much joy {if not more} in giving as there is in receiving, even if the gifts are tiny and made by hand.  I think ‘happy summer’ gifts like these also help her prepare for significant transitions – in this case, saying goodbye to her friends and home here in Kuwait and heading back to Canada for the summer.  

Play dough gifts seem to sort of be our thing when it comes to little treats for her friends, so why change things now?  Our new sand play dough is perfect for summer, so we decided to create simple build a sandcastle play dough kits.

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To get started, we prepared and collected our materials…  A double batch of our newly discovered sand play dough, several divided containers from City Star (similar to these, but be sure to check if your pails would fit before purchasing), some miniature pails, some gelato spoons, some seashells, some sea glass, some aquarium plants, and a bunch of glass gems.

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With everything we needed ready to go, it was time to divide up our sand dough.  She had decided on 6 little friends to give our build a sandcastle play dough kits to, so we needed 6 balls of dough.  I sat back and watched her work her way through this one, and in the end, I think she did a pretty fabulous job.

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With that, we rolled the dough into neat balls, pressed them down into our containers, and topped each with a pretty seashell.

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Our next job was to divide up our loose parts or ‘play dough accessories’ as Miss G calls them.  We decided that the easiest way to do this was to place the parts straight into our miniature buckets.

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This part was great for counting practice and problem solving.

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With all of our goodies tucked inside our buckets, Grae placed the buckets into our divided containers and tucked gelato spoons (a.k.a.  beach shovels) alongside each one.

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This is what our little kits looked like when done.

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Next, she put the lids on each container…

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And together we created some simple labels on the computer {she chose the font colours and clipart as well as typed her name, and I chose the fonts and typed the rest}.

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Then, while I cut out our labels, she put two long strips of double sided tape on the top of each container.

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And that was that.  Our little ‘happy summer’ gifts were made and delivered around the apartments, start to finish, in an hour and a half.

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20 thoughts on “Build a Sandcastle Play Dough Kits

  1. I am happy to let you know that I am featuring this post in Kids Learning Printables Linky Party. I just think it’s perfect for summer time fun.

  2. So sweet! A friend just sent me this link as a great idea for my own Miss G (we’re also Canadian, so I’m about to check out the rest of your site!). I used to set out specific play dough invitations, but I try to do the same “compact pre-sets” now that I have multiple children and interests to play to. I’ve never thought to do it as a party favour — this is definitely happening for next month’s birthday party! Thanks for the idea!

  3. I was working in a Kindy recently and I put these together with the beach umbrellas they were a HUGE hit! The hours the children spent playing with them was amazing. I made some more but this time with nature objects and different coloured play dough. I think the children loved having a set all to themselves! We did a sparkly one as well with jewels so out came the glitter!
    Totally love all your ideas!
    Sue

  4. Which program you use to make your great documents and labels? They’re always perfect. I’d love to learn to make documents as nice as yours.

  5. These would be great for my granddaughters birthday party this summer.Could you share your labels as a printable?I’m not computer smart enough to make them my self.Thanks for sharing your neat ideas.

  6. Wow, I love this idea! Thanks for sharing :) I have to remember this for my cousins, I don´t have own childs, yet. I totally love your blog, you have so wonderful ideas! :)

  7. How long does the playdoh last in the container? I’d like to make them in advance and give them out throughout the year

  8. We gave these as party favors for my daughter’s ocean themed birthday. All of the parents said they were a huge hit with their kids. My kids love them too and play for hours. Thanks for the awesome idea! We included toothpick beach umbrellas, toy sea stars and big shells. We used sandbox sand from the hardware store. It worked great!

  9. HI Jen- Did you purchase the sand from a store? I’m finding crushed quartz versions at Joann’s, Michael’s, etc. but it’s not like beach find sand. Also wondering about regular brown sand box sand. I found some of this at Petsmart: http://www.petsmart.com/fish/decor-gravel-and-substrate/gravel-sand-and-stones/caribsea-ocean-direct-caribbean-live-aquarium-sand-16762.html?cgid=300103

    Also found a version of calcium carbonate sand there. Is any of this stuff from Petsmart toxic?

    Curious what works the best and where did you end up finding it? Thanks!

    1. Hi Sarah! We got our sand directly from a beach in Kuwait. :D I wouldn’t recommend using the craft stuff… We’ve tried it before and unfortunately our dough just became a slightly gritty, mushy mess. I’m not an expert on the purchasable play sand, but I have looked at the options at Home Depot in the past and some were clearly labelled and disclosed that they contained crystalline silica, which is toxic. I personally think your best option is the beach. :)

    1. City Star is a variety shop found across the Middle East and as far as I know, most of their items are not easily found online. I did link a similar option in the post though!

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