• You can make sand castles in the backyard, as well as at the beach.sand castle image by Clarence Alford from Fotolia.com
  
  Sand castle sculpture is a popular and mainstream form of transitory art that is enjoyable even when there's no beach in sight. Creating sand castles in the comfort of a backyard sandbox gives kids the opportunity to explore sand art while combining it with homemade craft objects, including projects to help shape and build, as well as accessories and toys to use while playing with the finished castles.
  
  

Sandbox Shapers

• Work with kids to create custom hollow sand castle shapers by combining empty plastic containers. Use large rectangular containers (such as disposable resealable food containers) as the foundation for the main portion of the castle. Then attach smaller cups and containers by gluing them with the edges of their mouths sealed to the bottom of the large container. Use heavy-duty tape or do the gluing. Use a craft knife to cut away the portions of the large container that covers the mouth of the small containers, leaving them open to shape the sand. (Note: For safety's sake, this craft should be designed by kids, but assembled by adults.)
  
  

Adventure Toys

• Use a children's modeling compound designed to make flexible, permanent creations (such as polymer clay) to make toy fantasy characters to populate the finished sand castle. Use your children's favorite fairy tales or movies as inspiration to make figures such as kings, queens, princes, princesses, knights and dragons.
  
  

Sand Sprayer

• Unlike the sand at beaches, sand in sandboxes doesn't usually come with a nearby supply of water, a necessary element when it comes to creating castles and other sculptures. To enjoy sand castle art even during dry weather, work with kids to prepare their own sand castle spray bottles. Purchase hand-pump spray bottles (like the kind used for household cleaning products) and decorate them with acrylic paint to customize. For added enjoyment, add a drop or two of food coloring to each bottle so kids can add color to their castles. (The colors will wash away every time it rains.)
  
  

Castle Flags

• Make small or large castle flags using toothpicks or bamboo skewers and strips of printed, non-stretchy fabric. Cut long, thin equilateral triangles and glue them to the sticks using tacky craft glue. Coat about a half inch of the fabric at the bottom of the triangle and wrap it around the skewer or pick. Trim off the pointy ends of the stick using scissors or wire snips.
  
  

Draw Bridge

• Simple draw bridges are easy to reproduce and replace. Cut out a rectangular shape from corrugated cardboard, then draw lines across it, widthwise, to represent iron bands holding planks together.