If you are in the Northern Hemisphere, we hope you are enjoying the summer weather! If you live in the Southern Hemisphere, winter is just getting started (of course – winter is a bit milder in some parts of the Southern Hemisphere)! Well, whether you live north or south, we wanted to share a creative way of bringing the beach inside with you! It’s a fun, family activity – you can make a miniature beach scene all your own to remember that special vacation, or simply have a little reminder of warmer weather when things get dreary! Let’s get started…

What You’ll Need

• A glass bottle or jar of some type – canning jars work well as they give you a bit more room at the opening to really control your beach scene inside the container. If you want to go big, think of bulk jars of mayo or jam from your local warehouse club. Friendly suggestion – be sure to eat or relocate the contents before making you beach scene!
• SAND! If you are at the beach, it’s all over the place. Just grab enough to fill the bottom third or so of your bottle or jar. If you aren’t near the beach, hardware stores sell bags of sand. You wont need all of it, but don’t worry – Pinterest has plenty of ideas for the left over sand. You’ll run out of sand before you run out of fun projects!
• Shells – the right size for your bottle or jar. Remember, they have to fit in the opening.

And if you can find them or have the time…

• Sea Glass – You can find pieces of sea glass if you take a long walks on the beach. It can add some color and texture to your beach in a bottle.
• Dried Star Fish – because really, what beach scene is complete without a star fish. A plastic one will do in a pinch.
• DIY Mini Beach Chair – Want to really make your scene authentic? Try your hand at making a mini-beach chair out popsicle sticks or craft sticks. If this is a family activity, perhaps have an older child work on this.

Step by Step

1. Fill the bottom third with your sand. You can shake the bottle of jar to level it out, or leave it uneven for that beach dune look!
2. If you made the mini beach chair, put that in first.
3. Place your shells and sea glass on the sand. There’s really no wrong way to do this – you’re in charge. Put them in the middle, around the edge, scattered randomly – whatever you like!
4. Seal up your bottle or jar and display it for all to see! Placing it near a sun-filled widow will add a nice touch to your scene.

And there you have it! A little bit of the beach inside your home. If you are feeling really adventurous, place a picture of the sky inside the bottle of jar to give your scene an authentic backdrop! You can even place a picture of your little one from that special trip inside the jar!

As an added bonus, here’s Maestro Kindermusik Educator Beth Anspach reading from the Kindermusik Creatures of the Ocean Booklet, I Like the Beach. Enjoy!