MrsBanjoClown Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 We are going to be spending a week in a house on the beach. It has been about 3 years since we have been to the beach, so this is not something we get to do often. I would like to have some ideas of fun learning activities we could do while we are there. I'm sure the boys will be looking for shells and building sand castles, and our house has a view of a bird sanctuary, so I'm hoping we'll be able to do some bird-watching. Any other ideas for ways to fill a few beach days with a 7 and 5 year old? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LNC Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 (edited) We had fun with a nature guide written for the coastal region we went to. We found many unusual shells and used the book to identify each. We always find a few sea creatures and lots of birds to identify. If you are going to the Southeastern coast, the Suzanne Tate series of books are great also. For physical activity, boogie boards are a blast at that age. Every beach shop nearby will sell a variety of sizes for your various ages. And bring swim shoes for the ocean so they don't step on anything while boogie boarding. HTH! Edited June 14, 2012 by LNC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angelmama1209 Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 practice spelling words and math problems in the sand. find one thing you want to learn more About- a starfish, sand crab, certain shell, pretty bird, etc and spend some time digging in, observing, researching, dissecting, etc. scavenger hunt. see if the sea "glows" where you're going. pick up trash on the beach and talk about the environment. fish. count how many of certain things you can find. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jar7709 Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 Take along magnifying glasses or loupes and get down and look at the sand to see what it is made of, and look at the critters and shells and plant life you find. Take notebooks and colored pencils for drawing these things or just the beautiful views, or recording ideas and dreams. A star guide to evening skywatching. Make forts if there is driftwood. Fly a kite. :) Have a great time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLDebbie Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 We have brought home some shells, feathers, and sand by using plaster of paris. Just dig a small hole, put your finds in it, and cover with PoP. It pops right out of the sand. My kids love the ones they made last summer at the beach. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ohmomjacquie Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 Great ideas! We're going in August. Will have to bring some of those ideas with us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nellecv Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 My daughter loved the pretend archaeology dig we did after reading about archaeology in SOTW. A tide pool scavenger hunt is always fun too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomatHWTK Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 We kept a large tub and a bucket filled with sea water and caught things to study. One year seed pods from very far away washed up on shore, so we looked up what they were and tracked the path they had to have taken to get to us. We studied the different insects and birds that flew along the coast. You will probably also be able to see a lot of other interesting objects in the sky from a beach house. People fly kites and use gliders and sail boards. The stars are so visible and on the water there are the shrimp boats at night. If you have a small telescope, it would be perfect for watching ocean liners and shrimp boats. A good set of binoculars would be wonderful to take as well. The cloud patterns and movement of storms over the ocean are fascinating to watch too. Ahh... love the beach, hate the drive to get there and the $ for the hosue. ;) One year, I made up a treasure bag (an old leather purse) and filled it with fake treasure like plastic gems, jewelry and old coins. (Foreign coins are great for this project.) Then, I created a treasure map with rhyming clues and hid it in a box inside the house. I used a box that was already at the house so it looked to the children as if they had actually found a map that someone else had left. I also "antiqued" the map by staining it with coffee and tearing the edges. My kids were young enough to really fall for this. I buried the bag near the house but in the sand and then came up with a way to 'discover' the map in the house. The kids were thrilled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nono Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 I taught my children how to write their Chinese characters in the sand. Philip Yungkin Lee has several books that can teach the correct order of the strokes. There's an android/iPad app too, I believe. But seriously, we live at the shore and in 75 decent weather days per summer, I've never really had to do a thing to entertain my kids at the beach. :D Couple of shovels, a few random toys, and call it team-building. I believe that's a Business course. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedgehogs4 Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 You know...you don't HAVE to do anything. You can sit on the beach and keep an eye on them while they delight in the water, sand and critters. Swim with them. Dig in the sand with them. Dig your toes in and feel the clams tickle your toes. Watch for dolphins in the morning. Read. A lot. Watch a lot of movies. Look for shells. Take a lot of pictures. Build sand sculptures. I think we as homeschoolers are sometimes tempted to make a $(%* lesson out of every. thing. we. do. Sometimes we just need to do nothing and teach our kids the art of true relaxation. jmho, a week and a half from returning from the best beach vacation I've ever had. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hilltop Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 You know...you don't HAVE to do anything. You can sit on the beach and keep an eye on them while they delight in the water, sand and critters. Swim with them. Dig in the sand with them. Dig your toes in and feel the clams tickle your toes. Watch for dolphins in the morning. Read. A lot. Watch a lot of movies. Look for shells. Take a lot of pictures. Build sand sculptures. I think we as homeschoolers are sometimes tempted to make a $(%* lesson out of every. thing. we. do. Sometimes we just need to do nothing and teach our kids the art of true relaxation. jmho, a week and a half from returning from the best beach vacation I've ever had. :iagree: We were at the beach last month and spent 3 full days just enjoying it. A man near us caught/rescued a small octopus that a seagull dropped and we looked at it before he released it. We had fun observing the tidepools. Each day we built a larger sand castle than the day before. Enjoy your trip! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 You know...you don't HAVE to do anything. You can sit on the beach and keep an eye on them while they delight in the water, sand and critters. Swim with them. Dig in the sand with them. Dig your toes in and feel the clams tickle your toes. Watch for dolphins in the morning. Read. A lot. Watch a lot of movies. Look for shells. Take a lot of pictures. Build sand sculptures. I think we as homeschoolers are sometimes tempted to make a $(%* lesson out of every. thing. we. do. Sometimes we just need to do nothing and teach our kids the art of true relaxation. jmho, a week and a half from returning from the best beach vacation I've ever had. Oh, I so agree. The beach is entertaining in and of itself! OP, do you let them in the water? I ask because lots of people go to the beach but don't let their kids swim in the ocean. I grew up going to the beach, and would spend hours in the waves. It's not really swimming, it's standing there in 3 feet of water, jumping up when the waves come, feeling them lift you and put you back down, over and over! I spent so much time in the water that I'd feel that motion at night when I was still. That, combined with building with sand, walking, finding shells, perhaps flying a kite or surf fishing (away from others)--that was enough. Usually, we'd spend a good 4 or 5 hours on the beach itself, break for lunch, then spend several hours exploring the small beach town. Historical sites, mini-golf, gift shops, buying/writing out postcards, maybe renting bikes (not for us, but some like to). Back on the beach in the late afternoon, dinner inside, then an after dinner fishing time or walking or even a sunset swim....Lots to do. Always we were so dang tired at the end of the beach day!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsBanjoClown Posted June 14, 2012 Author Share Posted June 14, 2012 I will let them get into the water just to play in the waves close to the shore. Ds7 was amazed by older kids on the boogie boards last time we went to the beach(when he was 4), so I may let him try that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nono Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 I will let them get into the water just to play in the waves close to the shore. Ds7 was amazed by older kids on the boogie boards last time we went to the beach(when he was 4), so I may let him try that. Can your kids swim? Remind them that it takes a little time to get used to the wave motion, because it isn't like the pool. :D Also, make note of where you enter the water. I'm amazed at the visitors who come here with kids who have no swimming ability and then direct those same children to the most distant point between two lifeguard stands. :001_huh: My kids are competitive swimmers, I'm a former lifeguard, and we have a standing rule: Always swim in front of a life guard stand. I've even benched my lousy swimming husband for violating that one. And, again, :001_huh:! (Lousy is modifying swimming, not husband :tongue_smilie:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsBanjoClown Posted June 14, 2012 Author Share Posted June 14, 2012 At their ages, they will not be in the water without me right there with them. They are not good swimmers (haven't had enough practice), so I may even put them in life jackets. Although there will be plenty of adults there(my parents, brother, sister, and bil), dh will not be there, so I will have the kids right with me. There are no lifeguards at this beach because it is a private beach. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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