Last week we had horrendous weather, the remnants of hurricane Gonzalo, with heavy rains and gale force winds. Much too cold to go out and play. Luckily for us, that same day we received a sand art gift pack from SandArtPlay.
SandArt originates from South Africa and enables children to easily create stunning pictures with minimal mess.
Inside our pack was 4 Sandart cards, each with an image of a sea creature, a peeling tool and 11 tubes of coloured sand which came in test tube like containers with lids.
It’s extremely simple to do. First place a magazine or paper on the table and then choose a card. Using the peeler tool, simply peel off the top paper layer on the cards to reveal a sticky surface. Then sprinkle and spread the sand. It’s best to peel one section at a time to avoid mess or colours mixing. Every part peels off, even the whole background.
It takes a bit of time, but Ryan and Jordanna seemed to enjoy it. If sand spills or too much comes out then it’s quite easy to tip it back in which is why we need a magazine under the cards. A little bit did end up on the floor but it’s easily hoovered up.
Once all the parts have been filled with sand and the pictures are complete, they can be laminated. Each picture comes in a plastic sleeve. This plastic can then be cut and used to laminate the pictures by removing the paper covering the borer picture and sticking. We did find this bit a little difficult with some parts of the border just not sticking. Ryan used a tiny bit of tape on one of his pictures.
The end results are quite stunning and it’s an effect which could not be achieved using pens or crayons.
I think they are quite proud of their mini masterpieces.
The coloured sand can even be mix and different techniques can be learned and applied. Jordanna came up with the idea of using a thin dry paintbrush to help her spread the sand easily.
SandArt comes with many educational benefits too such as imagination, logical thinking, concentration, fine motor skills.
Izebella seemed fascinated by it all but is a little too young with the sets being aimed at those 4 and over.
I had lots of fun helping them both too.
I think these gift packs would make lovely stocking fillers and don’t worry the mess is definitely minimal. Just use a magazine.
This gift pack costs £8.95. Many other kits and accessories can also be purchased from Sandartplay
