Love to have fun in the sun? Making a life-size sand castle maybe a bit difficult, but making a more manageable palace of sand is fun and easy! Head to the beach with buckets (preferably in different sizes) and strong shovels, then get to work! 

Credit: Flickr (lupinoduck)

* To start, flatten out a large area of sand. Remove any large rocks, seashells, etc. & put them off to the side for later.

* Head toward the water & fill the buckets with moist sand (just wet enough to that it sticks together). Pack it tightly into the buckets - but not too tight! Bring the buckets back to the flattened area you previously prepared.

* Next, determine where you want to place the castle & flip the bucket. Pause for 3 seconds & gently tap the sides of the bucket to help loosen the sand.

* Carefully lift the bucket straight up into the air. Be careful not to pull it off at an angle or you’ll risk breaking off the side or top of your castle!

* Continue this process to create as many castles as you want!

* Like at FashionPlaytes.com, embellish your sand castle with seashells, rocks, seasweed, seaglass, etc. until you’re satisfied!

Tips: Use smaller drinking cups to make mini castles on top of your larger sand castles. Try building a moat around your castle to ward off predators. 

Don’t forget to show off your creation to your friends, then take a picture & share it with us!