Supplies
Tools
- Any kind of plastic, cylindrical mould (eg: a bucket/trashcan with the base cut out or a length of roofing paper rolled into a cylindrical shape).
- 4 medium C-clamps (optional: only if you are using roofing paper).
- A tamper (optional).
- Spade (or shovel).
- Basic carving tools (a kitchen knife, trowel).
- Small knife for carving details.
- Bucket.
Materials
- Water
- Sand
- Beach sand or river sand (river sand works best, as it contains slit and clay).
- Shop-bought sand is too 'clean' and won't hold together well.
- Decorations (shells, flags, straws, etc...)
Directions
Sandcastle base
- Make a big pile of sand for the base.
- Add water and compact the sand.
- Repeat the process of adding sand, water and compacting untill you have a suitably big, solid base.
- Level off your base using either yuor tamper or a spade.
Sandcastle body
- Position your plastic mould in the middle of your base.
- Fill mould with approx. 10 cm (4 inches) of sand.
- Pour in lots of water and mix with your hands or a spade.
- Compact the sand using either the tamper or just by stamping on it.
- Continue adding sand, water and compacting layers until the mould is filled.
- Depending on how high you want your structure, you can add another smaller mould on top of your first; simply repeat the filling/compacting process with the smaller mould.
- Again depending on how high you want your structure, you can add smaller towers on top using the hand staking method.
Finish the sandcastle
- To remove the mould, tap all round the mould with a trowel.
NB: if you have used more than one mould, remove the highest/smallest one and work down.
- Holding the bottom rim of the mould, gently wiggle it and then slowly slide it upwards.
- Carve details into your tower using basic sculpting tools.
- Add decorations however you wish.
Tips
- Since you will be making a much bigger/heavier structure using this method, a solid base is essential, so don't rush the first part.
- When carving, always work from the highest point down. Otherwise loose sand will fall on already-carved areas.
- Step back from your creation every now and again to get a view of the 'bigger picture'.
- Sadly, all good things must come to an end, and sandcastles are no exception. If you can't bear to leave your creation at the mercy of the elements or other beach folk, you can give it a coating with a light glue/water mix (about 1:8 ratio). This will hold the sand in place and make it more secure to outside threats, but remember: some beaches might not allow this, so always check first.