# Build an Island in a Sandbox > Pile the sandbox sand into a landmass, pour colored water all around it, then add little people, plastic trees, sea creatures and rocks for island small-world play. It's a hands-on way to introduce what an island is: land surrounded by water. - URL: https://www.funlittles.com/build-an-island-in-a-sandbox/ - Ages: 2–6 yrs · Difficulty: easy · Mess: high - Time: prep 10 min, activity 1 hr - Works for: one-on-one, small group, whole class · one batch serves about 2 kids - Skills: geography, vocabulary, imaginative-play, storytelling, critical-thinking, sensory-exploration - Cautions: food-dye, ingestion-risk ## Materials (one batch) - 1 piece Sandbox or sand table with sand - Water (household) - 1 piece Mug or cup for pouring water (household) - Food color - Little people and little toys - Plastic trees - Toy sea creatures (e.g. crabs) (optional) - 1 piece Toy dragon (optional) - Real pieces of nature: twigs, flowers, etc. (optional) (household) - Paper mache trees (optional) - Melted crayon rocks (optional) - 1 piece A picture of an island (household) ## Substitutions - Instead of plastic trees: Paper mache trees or real twigs and flowers (The author used her paper mache trees too and suggests real pieces of nature.) ## Safety - Stay with the kids during water play the whole time. Even shallow standing water is a drowning risk for toddlers. Empty the water when play ends. - Little people, small toys and rocks can be choking hazards. Watch toddlers who mouth things, and keep sand out of mouths and eyes. - Food color can stain hands, clothes and the sandbox. - Kids may end up 'swimming' in the sandbox. Plan for a bath or rinse afterwards. - On hot days, play in the shade and offer drinking water. ## Steps 1. Show your child a picture of an island and explain that it is land surrounded by water. 2. Collect your things together: little people, little toys and plastic trees. 3. Gather all the sand to the center of the sandbox to make the landmass. 4. Pour mugs of water around the sand until the land is surrounded by water. 5. Dump food color into the water. 6. Plant the trees and other vegetation on the island. 7. Bring the people onto the island. 8. Add sea creatures to the water around the island. 9. Set rocks in the water and let a toy swim out to them. 10. Play and tell stories about the island, for example a dragon protecting it from attackers. ## Tips - For me, set-up is part 1 of the play. Let kids help build the island, because it fosters critical thinking and visualization. The actual play, with all its creativity, imagination and language, is part 2. - Keep the explanation simple: surrounded by water = island. A 3-year-old's world is her home, maybe her street, so she may picture her own house surrounded by water and wonder how people get to the store. - Even more fun than building was dumping in the food color. - A younger sibling may do the opposite and spread the sand back out. We still managed to get the sand in the middle. - Yes, you'll have to bathe the kids after. Ours actually swam in the sandbox. - A reader noted it's a great activity for introducing the concept of an island, and that kids love telling stories about their small worlds. (from readers) ## The original post by TurkeyMom (2012) Yes, I have to bathe the kids after, yes they actually swim In the sandbox, yes the younger one opens her diaper to put some sand inside ( I mean come on girl). Still sandbox has been a hit out and out. After a long hiatus for our sandbox ( it was our mud kitchen during the spring), this summer it has seen plenty of action. This post is my first installment of a new series “Sandbox Stories”. There are plenty stories and tons of learning happening around our sandbox that I really need to start blogging more about this activity I always take for granted. Yeah it is not as glamorous and colorful as *[**model magic**](https://www.funlittles.com/make-your-own-play-food/) or [**designer cake play**](https://www.funlittles.com/cake-mania-with-play-doh/)* we have had in the past. But being a nature girl, Big A is plenty entertained by anything nature. Girls are playing in the sandbox and Big A keeps dumping mugs of water in the sandbox while yelling out, Big A: I’m building a lake , a lake a lake. *It actually turned out to be an island.* Mom: Hey that’s actually an island. Big A : What is an island? Mom: It is land surrounded by water. ***What followed really told me about her world – her very small world.*** Big A : What? Land surrounded by water? Oh My God! How will people go to the store? They have to swim? *Not having the heart to magnify her world at a young age, I repeated.* Mom: Well land can be a city. Our city could be surrounded by water on all sides but we can still go to the store by car. ***How will you explain island to a 3.7 year old? For her, her world is her home may be her street. When I say land surrounded by water, she visualizes her house being surrounded by water. With that in mind, her instant question makes sense.*** While I’m sure she DID NOT get the concept that an entire city or a landmass larger than a house could be surrounded by water, she knows the simple definition – surrounded by water = island. Here is what we did for a good hour in the afternoon when it was too hot to be in the backyard. We built an island in the sandbox Before building, I showed her a picture of an island. I would really like for her to actually participate in the set-up- especially for small world play. **For me, set-up is part 1 of the play. It fosters critical thinking and visualization . The actual play which fosters so much creativity, imagination skills and language skills is part 2.** With a picture, we collected our things. 1. Little people and little toys – whatever catches your kids’ fancy. 2. Plastic trees 3. Real pieces of nature – twigs, flowers etc ( we didn’t use any, but you could) 4. Food color for the water We started with basically gathering all the sand to the center of the sandbox. Baby A – the destroyer, did the opposite. After carefully watching her older sis collect the sand to the center of the box, she still did the opposite. We managed to get the sand in the middle to create the landmass. Now the island is taking shape Even more fun was “ add dump the food color” Here goes the first piece of vegetation. We also used our ***[paper mache trees](https://www.funlittles.com/paper-mache-models/).*** People start to come in Sea creatures show up Here is our princess in the water. Since she is a brave princess she swims to a rock all by herself. ***[Our hot rocks dam. We used our melted crayons rocks.](https://www.funlittles.com/rock-art/)*** A dragon to breathe fire on all the mean people trying to attack our island ( all Big A’s words) Here is Big A’s island all built by her tiny hands. Not too fancy, but fiercely protected by a good natured fire-breathing dragon. If you have done this or you intend to try this, please give us feedback. We really appreciate it. For next time, a volcanic island would be awesome With some Baking soda + vinegar action. If you have pictures, post away or leave me a link in the comments.