When you think of returning home from a beach vacation, there’s probably one aspect that makes you cringe: the sand! However, by bringing some beach sand home with you, you and your kids can create all sorts of fun crafts that will commemorate your vacation. These 20 blog articles are packed with crafts that appeal to kids of all ages, so you’re sure to find something fun to do for everyone from your preschooler to your high schooler.

For Preschooler

These projects will require some supervision, but should be entertaining for your preschooler. Make a vacation jar filled with sand and souvenirs or create plaster molds of your child’s foot and hand as a sweet treasure from your vacation. For more clever sand craft ideas, read through these five blog entries.

• Beach Crafts Let the kids create a vacation jar by filling the jar with sand and souvenirs from your time at the beach.
• Sensory Sand Paint Seahorse and Starfish Mix sand and paint together for a mixture similar to finger paint that your kids can use to create a picture.
• Beach Crafts for Children Make sand casts of your kids feet at the beach with the help of this post.
• S is for Salt Water Animals Textured Watercolor Paintings Use beach sand to add texture to paper cutout animals.
• Footprints in the Sand Ornament With some help, your little ones can put some sand and shells in a clear ornament.

For Elementary Schoolers

Once your kids start getting older, you can have them make their own plaster casts to hang on their bedroom wall by pressing a toy into sand. An adult will need to mix up the plaster, but the kids should be able to slowly pour it into the impression. The kids can also make sand dough and sand castles that will dry hard and last for years if taken care of. Take a look at these five blog posts for even more crafts for your elementary aged child.

• Kids Crafts- Plaster Casting with Sand Use the sand to create the mold and then fill the mold with plaster to create this craft.
• Make a Sand Art Terrarium You can color beach sand using sidewalk chalk, then create layers of sand that you can plant terrarium in.
• How to Make a Lasting Sand Castle from DIY Sand Dough Kids love play dough, so it’s not surprising that they also love sand dough, which you can easily create at home.
• Ocean-in-a-Bottle Craft for Kids Bring the ocean home with you by making this ocean in a bottle craft.
• Crafts Using Sand Your kids will love this iSpy type game, where items are hidden in a big jar of sand.

For Middle Schoolers

By the time your kids reach middle school, they’re fairly capable of creating crafts on their own. Sand candles and sand paintings are great creations for this age, though some adult supervision is necessary. For plenty of ideas of crafts you can do with your middle schooler, take a look at the next five blog postings.

• The Chew: Clinton Kelly’s Layered Sand Art Craft for Summer Camp By coloring your and layering it, you can create sand art in a vase or a jar.
• Making Candles in the Sand You can make a one-of-a­-kind candle by creating a shape in the sand with wicks and melted wax.
• Native American Sand Painting For a craft that is both fun and educational, try out this Native American sand painting.
• Sand Bowl All you need is a bowl, some plastic wrap, some layering glue and sand to make a homemade bowl to hold the shells you collect at the beach.

For High Schoolers

Your teen may not be as enthused about easy crafts as your toddler, but that doesn’t mean they have to miss out on all the fun. Check out these five blog posts, which are full of ideas that will appeal to your older children.

• Sea Shell Sand Molds {Craft} Your teen will love this craft, which is a little more involved than the ones listed previously.
• DIY Sand Candles Instead of buying store-bought candles, have your teen create their own colored sand and then insert a tea light into the center.
• Sand and Pebble Mirror Take an ordinary mirror to one that’s extraordinary by dressing up the frame with sand and shells.
• Summer Camp Crafts By layering colored sand and using different tools, you can create elaborate scenes for a unique, homemade candle.
• Make Beads from Sand! A Great Summer’s End Project You can mix sand and glue to make various shaped beads that can then be colored and strung onto a keychain or lanyard.

Originally posted by Emma Roberts on SummerNanny.com. Republished with permission.