Did you or your kids have a sandbox?

[CherCrazy]

DH and his friend built a huge 8x8 sandbox for our kids. They loved it and played for hours in it.

Funny story. One of my kids was about 4 years old when he came running into the house calling "Mommy Mommy There's WORMS in the sandbox!!" I went out to check.

They weren't worms....they were BABY SNAKES!!!!!!!!!

 

[JR6ooo4]

We had a 10x10 sand box. Had to... we had five kids in the family, plus friends. Dad just laid plastic down and made a square of railroad ties. Then had a truck dump a half load!

No cover, no need. Dad had a BB gun in the second story window. THe neighborhood cats soon learned the sand box was not for their use.

MIkeeee

 

[mommasita]

DH and his friend built a huge 8x8 sandbox for our kids. They loved it and played for hours in it.

Funny story. One of my kids was about 4 years old when he came running into the house calling "Mommy Mommy There's WORMS in the sandbox!!" I went out to check.

They weren't worms....they were BABY SNAKES!!!!!!!!!

 

[Kahana-ri]

We have a small sandbox that has a picnic table and umbrella attached to it. DS loves it! Every tractor, truck, car, and sand tool is used and DS can play for hours. It's covered every night and we make sure to check it for debris or bugs. DS is going through is bug fear phase.

 

[RNMOM]

[I wish we could bring home the nice white sand from the Gulf for it though..... That's kind of hard when you live in Ohio.

And for the poster who said sand belongs on a beach...you've never been to what they call the beach by our house...eww..../QUOTE]

Pembo, I hear you. Lake Erie is very pretty and a lot cleaner that it has been in decades but no thanks.

I always got washed play sand from Toy's R Us or the garden center. It was very much like the white beach sand. After it got a little dirty from all the playing in it it stuck together when wet better then when new.

For those who had cats and other issues in the sand, you survived all that didn't you? I think we are far too germaphobic these days.

 

[Tink&SquirtsMom]

Our house had an unfinished yard when we moved in, so the first thing dh and I did was build a 10x10 sandbox in the sideyard so the kids had something to do while we worked on putting in the yard. It's huge and has seats that the run the length of it along the back and 1 side. We put in a small little tikes climber next to it, with the slide dropping right into the edge of the sandbox. It's been 3 years since we built it and that thing has been by far the best item we have EVER purchased/made for the kids. They spend hours out there when the weather is nice. They make elaborate towns, dig for pirate treasure, etc... I love doing fun things like burying gems etc, and them stumbling upon them later. They always come up with some story surrounding the arrival of mysterious item and a whole new game begins. I really want to buy the dinosaur bone kit that Target sells for sandboxes, just to see their reaction! Today we all spent about 3 hours out there sifting sand. We have to do this about once a year after winter, to remove all the bark and things that had been blown in during the winter and then we add a little bit of new sand. We don't cover it and I have yet to find any cats (or evidence of them) in there, but we have a cat chasing dog with free reign of the back yard, so I'm sure that has something to do with it. It can be messy, but the hours of enjoyment (and peace for mommy) are more then worth it.

 

[elan]

We love our sand box. Our kids play in it for hours. Just refilled it again this spring. (not sure were the sand goes during the winter - but it seems to disappear)

I never had one when I was younger.

 

[DISUNC]

We had a Sandbox here....and its been awhile...BUT next year we are getting another one for all the new kids in the family!

 

[powellrj]

I had a sandbox when I was growing up and loved it. We built one for the kids and they were never that interested so we got rid of it several years ago. Now they are too old for one!

 

[MUFFYCAT]

We had a good size Little Tykes sandbox. It was one of the best thing we bought. They used it for years! The cover helped being that we have a cat.

 

[littleteapot]

We have a sand area right by our front door. I don't know if we'll ever get rid of it because my neighbor's 16yob with Down Syndrome loves it as much as my kids. I have children playing there all the time, often when were in the house I'll hear my neighbors kids out there (my nephews live down the street). I have half a dozen or so old serving spoons out there to dig with and a few trucks. We planted some flowers and bushes between it and the street, so you have to walk up to my door to see it.

We dig the sand out and replace it every spring. It is about 5X3 feet.

 

[Kitty 34]

We built a sandbox right around a huge maple we have in our courtyard. Our youngest DS spent many many hours in it with all his tonka trucks.

 

[Pembo]

RNMom, We recently visited the beach as it is called in Lorain. Ewww...black dirt that is supposed to pass as sand. My shoes were filthy after just a short walk. We buy the washed sand as well, which reminds me, it's time to refill.

 

[D L and K's Mom]

My babysitter has a sandbox for the kids with BLUE sand (Walmart) last year she had pink. My DD loves it!!!

 

[MoniqueU]

At our old house we had a yard where the whole side of the house was all curbed in with sand in it. We had all sorts of toys out there in the sand. Yes my girls did throw sand a few times and they through sandballs over the fence at the neighbors house and got busted big time for it. But they had alot of fun and I am glad I had it.

 

[stinkerbelle's mom]

I never had a sandbox growing up but my best friend did and I used to spend alot of time playing with him in it.

The only thing I've ever been told to watch for is impentago (sp?) with the dirty sand. Yuck on the litterbox too!

We got the turtle box sandbox for our children too--- with the blue sand!

 

[Mickey527]

They weren't worms....they were BABY SNAKES!!!!!!!!! [/QUOTE]

This reminds me of the time my now 23 year old son was about 3. We were eating supper outside in the yard and a small snake went across the grass. he yelled to me "Look mymmy, a fast worm" We still kid him about that.

My boys had a sandbox that I made for them. It was 8'X8' and one of the parents of the kids I babysat for was in construction. He gave me some of the best sand I could find, very fine and white. My boys played in that sandbox until they were at least 12 when it became a garden. and we had cats all over the place but my boys never got sick, we just scooped the mess and hosed the sand. Wet sand is more fun to play with anyhow.
My grandson is living with me now. I bought one of those little tykes turtles but that is not a true sandbox. You can't put in all the trucks and scoop loaders that you want to play with.
We are building him a sandbox like his daddy had. I am going to extend the frame so we can put some play gravel down and put his Little tykes 8 in 1 playgym that I bought at a tag sale yesterday for $15 alongside his Fisher Price playgym that I got for free. Then I have to figure out how to put in a swing for him and he will be all set.
Children don't spoil, fruit spoils! Children are loved. I love my grandson ALOT!

 

[Julia M]

I remember the sandbox I had as a kid (my dad made it) and I'm 45. I just got rid of our sandbox last fall, and my youngest was 9!

One of their favorite things to do was build a "mountain" of damp sand", place plastic dinos all around, and use baking soda and vinegar to make volcanos that went all over the dinos. We'd also use margarine tubs or gladware to make "ponds" and sticks and rocks for trees and boulders. The kids would play for hours. As the boys got older, they used plastic soldiers.

I would buy baking soda and vinegar in bulk at Costco....well worth the price.

Now my kids are 10, 12 and almost 15....the sandbox and swing set is gone.....now the entertainment is a pool table in the garage, and they are excited about the hot tub we are planning to purchase.

I kind of miss sandbox days!

Julia

 

[Liberty Belle]

I didn't, but then we lived a couple blocks away from the beach. Both my sons did/do. We have the Little Tikes (or Step1 - whatever) blue boat with a lid.

We get new sand each year and pick out any grass, leaves, or sticks that get into it, but other than that, we don't clean it.

 

[lajones81]

With all these parenting issues on the boards right now, I thought I would ask.

When my boys were little, we got them a sandbox. They were about 2 and 3 yrs old. They spent many, many hours in that box and we moved it with us to three different homes. They finally quit when they were about 12 wanting to play in it. I had a couple friends who would not allow their kids to play in it because they were afraid someone would throw sand in their eyes. My boys were not always the best of friends but that was not an issue for us. I had a rule, any throwing of anything and the box was closed. It just didn't happen.

The sand was washed play sand and the box had a top in it. We sifted the sand to get any leaves or other things they would drag in there. The sand was messy at times but we felt it was worth it for all the creative playtime they had. I mean they would spend 2-3 hours at a time playing with dinosaurs and aliens making roads and caves. It was great. You would hear them making roaring sounds and baby animal sounds. The poor neighbor kids stood on their side of the fence watching them play. Oh well.

My sister and I had a sandbox! We loved it!