Getting Too Tall for Playlands

We had another fun day of summer break. This morning we had our little school session and then spent the morning enjoying cartoons. I had a lot to do this morning which made it go by really, really fast! By the time I had any time to think about the afternoon it was already upon us and so we decided to go over to our local Burger King playland. We got some chocolate milkshakes and just enjoyed ourselves. Of course, I noticed the signs as usual and didn't pay them much attention until Caleb pointed out that he's now at the max height restriction for the equipment. This time next year? We won't be going to playlands anymore. They grow too fast!


When we got home, I managed to get the kids outside for an hour of sun. Caleb grudgingly tromped outside, but eventually he perked up and joined in the fun. And yes, they are playing with some yogurt containers that I rinsed our specifically for use in the sandbox. Great diggers and sand smoothers as my two quickly found out.

Make A Mini Sandbox

We are very lucky to have a small yard which provides a grassy area for the kids to play. We also live on a relatively quiet street in a traffic calmed neighborhood and there are no driveways to contend with on the sidewalk in front of our house. BUT -- sometimes space really is an issue here. We have our lawn care provided because we are part of an association. And having small pools/sandboxes in the yard all summer, or even all year, really does a number on the grass.

This afternoon Lorelei REALLY wanted to play in the sand at the park. I had purchased two bucket/shovel combos at Walmart earlier in the day that we could use at the park. Unfortunately we were at that point in the day where Caleb would be home somewhat soon and so we were housebound.

I knew that we had sand in the garage and I also knew that I had a few storage bins in the closet that were empty and no longer being used -- so I decided to see what I could do.

And behold -- a miniature sandbox for two:

Or just one as the case was after I'd first made it:

I took a 41QT clear plastic bin (with lid!) and added 1 bag (1/2 cubic foot) of sand to it. It's small enough that it can sit on our front patio/porch. It is small enough to be moved pretty easily. Large enough to provide both kids some space to sit and play. And holds just enough sand to make a few sand castles with the buckets.

The kids are thrilled with the new sandbox. And I'm thrilled because now we don't have to go to the park. I can park the kids somewhere in the yard, in the shade, and let them at it. We still have two more bags in the garage and since sand is such a minimal investment, I don't even have to mind filling it up a few more times over the summer. At summers end this little box will be much easier to store than any other sandbox I could have purchased in store. In fact, I could put it under someone's bed. But I won't....