There are a few things you simply must do when you spend the day on the beach with the kids. You guessed it…build an epic Topsail Island vacation sandcastle. Building a sandcastle is something every beach lover enjoys doing. All of us have fond memories of digging in the sand, blissfully unaware of life’s stresses. Which, if you think about it, is exactly what vacations are for. So put away the phones, don’t worry about your Instagram posts and spend a few minutes with the kids this summer building what is really important … great memories.
Everything you will need
Of course, the first thing you will need is to book a Topsail Island beach vacation. Now that you have your vacation home booked it is time to gather a few tools.The tools you’ll need for making a magnificent sand castle are inexpensive and easy to find anywhere on Topsail island. You may even have some of these tools in your kitchen. Here are the basics:
Shovel for scooping and packing
Small bucket for shaping towers
Paint stirrer for sketching and smoothing
Straws for blowing excess sand away
Measuring spoons and melon baller for making windows
Offset spatula and plastic knife for carving
Large buckets for hauling water and building
Seven steps to making the perfect sand castle
Now that you have everything you need to make the ultimate sand castle it is time to get started. If you follow these seven simple steps you will have a beautiful and picture worthy sand castle in no time. Go ahead and get your social media up and running! You are going to want to show off the final product.
Step 1. Make a plan
Just like building a house it is a good ideas to have a plan of what you want to create. With small kids this can be a challenge, but that is ok, because letting the kids just create on their own is fun too. However, if you are looking at a serious creation you will want to have a plan or a drawing to follow.
Step 2. Outline & Dig
Outline the shape of the sandcastle. This will help the kids have some idea of the scale and shape of the castle. The next step is to move the sand to the inside of the outline to create a large pile of sand. Remember most of the building is going to be carving or removing the sand.
Step 3. Pack The Sand
Tamp the sand down with your hands or shovel. This is an easy way to build walls and other sturdy shapes. Even things like towers can be molded in this manner. Just remember to slowly build up your shapes and make sure they have a sturdy foundation.
Step 4. Add Water
Now it is time to put the kids and those buckets to work. Gather buckets of water. Add the water to use as a sort of glue. The water will help bind the sand together and allow you to create more shapes.
Step 5. Begin To Build and Create Shapes
Use buckets or molds to create shapes for your castle. Remember to fill the buckets with wet sand not dry sand. Dry sand will fall apart when you flip the mold over.
Step 6. Make The Towers
Towers are one of simpler shapes to make and any of our local shops or big box stores will have sand castle kits that will include tower shapes. Grab a few before you head out on the beach for the day. Simply fill with wet sand and flip them over for perfect towers.
Step 7. Carve Your Designs
Carving unique shapes is easy to do. We recommend using a dull butter knife which allows you the ability to carve and smooth as you like. Plus they are safe for kids to use.
Looking to book your next Topsail Island vacation? Our friendly and knowledgeable staff can help. We have a large inventory of homes – from smaller condos to large homes for big groups. No matter what your family’s needs we’ll have a home for you. Give us a call today at 800-497-5463 or click the button below to see all of our current vacation homes.
Build your castle on TOpsail Island
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