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Today’s Hint: Think Creatively When it Comes to Sand Toys

August 12, 2015 By Hint Mama

We’ve all been there. Your child is in the sandbox, or on the beach, staring longingly at the sand toys – shovels, pails, strainers – other children are using. Your little one doesn’t have any toys because you forgot to bring them (or buy them at your travel destination).

Just in time for the dog days of summer, today’s hint is a tip for the next time you find yourself in this situation, and it’s a strategy for saving money on toys too: Think creatively when it comes to sand toys. In other words, let your child play in the sand with items you do have on hand – think water bottles and snack bags, for instance.

IMG_5695It’s no secret that kids love to play with such non-toys. Case in point: The last time I forgot the sand toys, I gave my daughter an empty Pirate’s Booty bag (she had just had her snack), and suggested she use it like a pail. The substitution worked, and she happily played with the bag and an ownerless shovel.

And I’m not the first parent to think creatively like this. Photographer Juli Isola shares on her site how “sometimes the best sand toy is the one you have with you,” i.e. a plastic bag. Meanwhile, check out this picture on Twitter of a sand castle built with the help of a plastic cup and some straws.

But what if you’re the type who never forgets to bring the sand toys? Well, you can still save money too by repurposing items you have around the house – strainers, Tupperware, measuring cups, etc. – into sand toys.

How have you handled the “I forgot the sand toys” situation? Your tips for saving money on sand toys?

Follow Hint Mama on Facebook and Twitter, and read more about her and her disclosures.

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Filed Under: Play, Toys, Traveling Tagged With: beach gear, cheap sand toys, Hint Mama, Juli Isola, sand toys, sandboxes

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  1. Today’s Hint: The DIY Travel Play Kitchen – Hint Mama says:
    August 24, 2015 at 11:42 pm

    […] Other free items that can make great destination toys include travel brochures, magazines and plastic cups, and it’s worth noting that a toy kitchen is just one of the many uses for boxes during your […]

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Before entering the corporate world, Jennifer Saranow Schultz (aka Hint Mama) was the lead writer for The New York Times “Bucks” personal finance blog and a reporter at The Wall Street Journal. Read More…

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Hint Mama™ is a trademark of the author of this blog. Unless otherwise indicated, all text, images and (sometimes humorous) hint sharing were created and produced by the author of this blog. Rights reserved. So please enjoy (but do not reproduce without permission).

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