How to make a sand castle, or What the heck is there to do on Whidbey Island?!? Double Bluff Beach, Whidbey Island, WA

The first rule of sand castle making may very well be choose a good location without any imminent dangers. This could mean avoiding the tide (at least while you can!), foot traffic, dog poopers (yes, they do like certain kids of spots to do their deed), and as pictured below, be sure to protect your castle from intruders, especially those that are still crawling, as they are more likely to cause quick and irreparable damage than their walking counterparts. Distraction worked in the below pictured case.

DISCLAIMER: Knowing full well that there are many ways to make acceptable and less acceptable sand castles, we will admit that below described castle making is only one method, and may or may not suit your sand castle needs. We tend to collect various materials from the beach to construct our castles, rather than to extensively manipulate the sand. In this case, we made a sand "mountain" and added various beach pieces and parts that we collected to the castle.

Above: Marina uses a piece of wood to carve a road into the base of the sand castle. This kind of technical drafting may require a smaller size stick as pictured above.

Above: We collected dried beach flowers and hung small dandelions on them to create the appearance of a flowering tree. These "trees" were "planted" around the castle grounds

Shells & rocks are placed ornamentally into the castle mountain. This seems to serve an artistic need or perhaps it helps hold the castle together...

Above: pieces of flat wood make the driveway, or main entrance to the castle

Above: castle in progress

Above: carving the sand to make the main driveway, this may have been the most time consuming task on this day at the beach.

Above: Placing wood for the main drive

Above: having fun, the most important part of the castle process, and really the only rule of castle building

Above: a bucket-formed tower, later to become a castle mountain as the sand dried and crumbled into a hill of sorts

Good materials for the castle can be: wood, unusual driftwood, painted driftwood/wood, any trash found on beach (this one is fun), rocks, seaweed, thoughtfully chosen plant life (be mindful of what/how much you are picking!), flowers, anything small and interesting that may or may not serve a purpose in your castle, anything artsy, OK, I think you get the point...and of course sand, sand, sand, sand, and kids! Even little sand castle destroyers. . .

Like this one :)