It’s summer again, all to soon local families will be heading to area beaches for vacation. All of us are looking forward to those long lazy afternoons spent lying on the beach, or riding the waves on our boogie boards. There are usually enough activities happening on the beach to keep our children occupied while we soak up the sun. But for those long afternoons when they don’t want to play in the surf or ride the banana boats, try one or all of these interesting, fun and sometimes educational activities kids are sure to love. There are literally hundreds of amazing opportunities awaiting your child on the beach. From learning about the many interesting and colorful species of fish swimming in the ocean, to the countless discoveries waiting to be made on shore. The beach provides an endless array of both learning and fun, adventure and opportunity for you and your child.
There are many ways to keep your children occupied while you do your own exploring of the beach. Why not sign them up at one of the day camps often offered by area hotels? These camps take over the care of your child for a few hours each day, giving you the opportunity to relax, while exposing children to the splendor of the beach, educating them on the wonders of the ocean while they have fun with there peers. Consider involving all the children and there friends in a “find the prettiest seashell’ contest, or a sand dollar search. One of my children’s favorite beach activities when they were little, was what we called, trench diving. It involved digging a ‘trench’ a few inches from the surf line, the trench has to be at least a foot or so deep. And then, as the tide comes in, the water fills up the trench and when the tide goes back out it leaves behind seashells and other wonders. Its interesting for them to see what sort of sea creatures they can collect. Also, sand at the beach can provide hours of entertaining and educational fun. Help your kids do a science experiment on the sand. You will need beach sand, a white piece of paper, a magnifying glass and a magnet. You will start by collecting some sand on the white paper, pass a magnifying glass over the sand, many dark colored particles will stick to the magnet, these are iron rich minerals. You can also start a sand collection using clear plastic bottles, add a drop or two of food coloring to color the sand. They can even use seashells and other wonders found on the beach to decorate there bottles. Creating mementos of their beach vacation to be enjoyed for along time. Sand sculptures are another interesting idea your child can have fun with.
Check out www.howstuffworks.com for information on how your child can create there own one of a kind sand sculpture that they can take home and proudly display for all there friends. Whale or dolphin watching, depending on what beach your on, is a wonderful activity for you and your child to do together. Rugged rocky areas of the pacific coast are excellent locations to spot a rare grey whale in early spring or late winter. Ingage your child in a scavenger hunt, if they find all the items you’ve listed, let them choose the restaurant where you will have dinner, or treat them to an ice cream cone. Bury treasure, or what is considered treasure to your child, on the beach and draw them a map leading on a treasure hunt. This can provide hours of endless, exciting fun for all. There are lots of activities to do on the beach, that will keep your children occupied for hours and provide an excellent opportunity to you to share and have fun with your child. For these and other interesting ideas visit www.howstuffworks.com or www.beachfun.com.
