All about 2 kids 1 sandbox

Are you thinking about buying for your Child a 2 kids 1 sandbox but not sure exactly what to choose from and what the differences are? You can read all about it on this page. You will also find all kinds of useful tips here. After reading the information on this page you will know exactly what kind of sandbox you want, how to maintain everything properly and what you can use the box for if your children have outgrown it!

Playing with sand: why?

Playing 2 kids 1 sandbox is not only fun, it is also good for development. Yes, children might get dirty, but as long as they don’t wear their latest clothes, that’s no problem, right? It’s not that it can’t be cleaned. And you can shake sand out of your shoes in no time. Playing with sand is simply very good for the development of children, such as:

1. Good for tactile development. Sand can be touched, slipped through your fingers, kneaded, and much more. In addition, sand also has different structures, from soft sand to mud. All these ‘tactile experiences’ of sand are just very interesting for children.
2. Good for hand-eye coordination. Holding shovels, playing with sand toys, drawing with a stick in the sand: all ways to promote hand-eye coordination.
3. Stimulates cooperation and emotional development. Children often play with other kids in a sandbox. Play together, discover together and have fun together. Playing together is also good for the emotional development of your child.
4. Promotes creativity. There are endless possibilities with sand. Everything can be made. This stimulates creativity. Your child can let his or her imagination run wild and create whatever he/she wants.

From what age can children play in a sandbox?

Kids can play in a sandbox from a very young age. In fact, from the moment they can sit and grab things themselves. Usually this is between 6 and 9 months. For young children (1 to 3 years), go for a small sandbox. A large sandbox can still be much too big and can be experienced as intimidating. In addition, children in that age group often still play alone, so a small sandbox is large enough. For older children, a larger sandbox is more fun. They can play in this with all their friends, and have a great time.

And if you look at all the advantages that a sandbox and playing with sand offer, what’s stopping you from buying a sandbox and placing it in your garden. Maybe you don’t know yet what you can pay attention to when buying a sandbox. Read below the most important points to pay attention to:

What to look for when buying a sandbox?

If you’re thinking about buying a sandbox, here are a few things to keep in mind:

Size

The size of the sandbox is one of the most important things to look at. Most importantly: what is the available space in your garden, or how much space of your garden do you want to use for the sandbox? There are also some other aspects to keep in mind. For example, will one child mainly play in the sandbox or several children? Also take into account the age of the child(ren). Under three years? Go for a smaller model. Older than three? Then a slightly larger sandbox is much more fun.

Material

Are you going for a plastic or wooden sandbox ? A plastic sandbox is easy to move. In addition, you can always fill the sandbox, or the lid of the box, with water. Nice for hot days! Disadvantage of a plastic sandbox: it is a bit more porous and often a bit small. A wooden sandpit has a very cool appearance and is often somewhat larger than a plastic version. A wooden box also has the advantage that there is usually a nice edge on which your child can sit. Disadvantage: you can usually not (properly) move these bins and splinters are a possibility.

Price

Wooden sandboxes are generally more expensive than plastic sandboxes. For a tenner you can already buy a shell sandbox. Wooden sandpits are available from 50-60 euros and can easily exceed 100 euros. However, these wooden variants are much more durable than a plastic sandbox. If you really want to be able to enjoy it for years, it can be smart to go for a wooden sandbox (despite the slightly higher price). In the Internet-Toys range you will find sandboxes from different brands, such as Paradiso Toys, Disney and Hörby Bruk.

Where do you put the sandbox?

If you want to buy or have just bought a sandbox, you naturally want to place it in the most ideal place in your garden. But what’s the best place?

• Make sure that the surface is flat, so that the container is stable.
• Place the sandbox within your line of sight. This way you can always keep an eye on your children.
• Make sure that the sandbox is not directly in the sun. A child’s skin is still very sensitive to UV radiation. But do not place the container completely in the shade in a damp place. Don’t really have shady spots in your backyard? Create some shade yourself with a parasol, or purchase a sandpit with a roof above it.
• And don’t put it right under a tree. Otherwise you will always have leaves, twigs, etc. from the tree in your sand.

Wooden sandbox? Additional tip:

If you want to put a wooden sandbox in your garden, it is advisable to place a root cloth on the bottom of the sandbox. A wooden variant is generally always open at the bottom. This so that water easily seeps through the tank and the sand is cleaned naturally. If you do not want vermin and roots to enter the sandbox from below, you can place a root cloth there. You can even staple it to the bottom of the container, so you can be sure that it will stay in the right place (even if you move the container a bit).

What sand do you put in a sandbox?

It is best to fill a sandbox with play sand. This is well sieved and washed, so it is not a problem if your child(ren) put some of this in their mouth. Please note, play sand is available in good and somewhat less good quality. Do you want to purchase quality play sand? Don’t be afraid to spend a little more money. And most importantly, the sand does not contain loam and it is fine sand.

How much sand do you need?

Play sand often comes in bags of 15 kg or 25 kg. A normal shell sandbox can hold about 60 kg of sand (the same goes for a turtle sandbox). So for 15 kg bags this is about 4 bags, and 2.5 bags for 25 kg bags. With larger sandboxes, it is smart to calculate the content in advance. Length x width x desired sand height. A certain number of liters then comes out. Sandbags are sold in kg. As a last step, convert the liters to kilograms, to see how many bags you need (1 liter weighs about 1.5 kg). So multiply the number of liters you calculated by 1.5 and you have the number of kilograms you need.

How do you keep the sand and sandbox clean?

The sand in your sandbox can get a bit dirty after a while. Leaves and twigs can still be removed from the box, but there are more things that can end up in the sand box. Wild animals or your own pets may defecate in a sandbox, dirty and not 100% preventable. In addition, ants can end up in the tank. How can you ensure that the sand remains as clean as possible:

1. Rake the sand from time to time. This way, stones, branches and other things that you cannot see with the naked eye come up.
2. Close the sandbox when not in use. A plastic sandbox often includes a lid, and you can pull a (plastic) cloth over a wooden sandbox.
3. Do not allow children to eat or drink in the sandbox. Food scraps attract pests (such as ants and wasps).
4. Rinse  sand toys regularly, especially if you leave them in the box for the next play. Toys are great fun and provide even more fun, but they can also get quite dirty. Do you want to know more about sand toys? Then read our page ‘ Buying sand toys: what to keep in mind ‘.
5. Replace the sand. If you notice that the sand is really dirty, it is recommended to replace it completely. It is recommended to replace the sand in a sandpit with a lid at least once a year. Without a lid, it needs to be replaced more often.

The sandbox can also become dirty or wear out. What can you do to properly maintain your sandbox?

1. It is best to keep a plastic sandbox clean. You can simply brush the dirt off with soapy water and a cloth. A plastic sandbox often discolors (especially if you don’t use a protective spray).
2. Wooden sandbox. Is there green deposits on your wooden sandbox? You can just sand it off. Wooden sandpits are always well impregnated, which protects them against rot and fungus. This makes them last for years.

If children play in a sandbox, some sand will undoubtedly end up outside the box as well. If you see that a lot of sand has ended up next to the container, wipe it up. And also make sure that your children knock out their clothes and shoes, so that not too much sand is taken in (or invest in a good shoe brush, for example).

Game ideas: 5 fun tips

You can do a lot with sand. Children can let their imaginations run wild, they can dig it in the sand, make things, move sand and much more. Below we give you some fun game ideas for things that children can do with sand. Of course children also keep themselves very busy in a sandbox, but with these ideas you can do something different for once:

#1 Make a river

Dig a groove in the sand. Then cover it with aluminum foil. In this way, the water that you are going to let flow through the river does not immediately soak into the sand. Then fill a bucket with water. And carefully pour the water into your river. If the river runs down a slope, you can also put a garden hose at the top of the river for a while. Running water and guaranteed fun!

#2 Create a safari park

Search for rocks, leaves, sticks and more. With this you then make the enclosures of the animals. Then you need animals. If you have plastic toy animals, you can use these excellently. Don’t have these at home? Then make animals from products you have at home. Tip: read our page about crafting and get some inspiration on how to craft an animal. Place the animals in the enclosures and let’s play!

#3 Make your own sand foam

Yes, sand-foam. Sand foam can be made by filling a bucket with sand and shaving cream. This is a really fun new experience for your child. The sand gets a soft structure, and therefore feels completely different. And in addition, children will discover that with sand-foam, because of the structure, they can do slightly different things than with normal sand.

#4 Make a sand volcano

You may have even made a volcano yourself with a fun experiment kit. But did you know that you can also make a volcano in the sandbox? First make the shape of the volcano with sand. Then place a plastic cup at the top of the volcano, in the place where the hole where the lava comes out normally is. Then put baking soda (baking soda) and red food coloring in the cup. If you then top it up with vinegar, things ‘explode’!

#5 Go treasure hunting

Organize a treasure-hunting afternoon for your child(ren). You can do this as extensively as you want. Bury some things (eg hints and the treasure) or just the treasure in the sandbox. The reaction of children when they find the treasure is really amazing!

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What else can you do with a sandbox?

If your children have outgrown the sandbox and/or the temperatures rise to tropical values, you can turn your sandbox into all kinds of useful and fun things. Our alternatives:

1. You can easily transform a sandbox shell , or other plastic sandbox, into a refreshing swimming pool. Sand out, clean and water in! If you have a sandbox with a lid, you can fill one side of the box with sand and the other side with water. Double the fun!
2. And how about a ball pit. Same principle as above, just fill with balls .
3. You can also fill a plastic swimming pool with water and ice. This way you keep all your drinks cool during a (garden) party. Because you can just put everything in the fridge, in your own drink cooler is just that little bit more original!
4. Or dig in your plastic bath and turn it into a pond.
5. You can turn a wooden sandbox into a flower box when it is no longer in use. Take out all the yellow play sand, fill the box with black sand and/or potting soil (don’t forget to remove the root cloth if you’ve placed it at the bottom) and start filling!

Everything in a row about 2 kids 1 sandbox

On this page you have read a lot of information about sandboxes and playing with sand. Hopefully the information will help you make the right choice when purchasing a sandbox. Below you can read briefly the most important points of this page:

• Sandboxes are roughly available in plastic and wooden variants.
• Children can play in the sandbox from +/- 1 year.
• Playing with sand has all kinds of benefits: good for tactile development, social development, creativity, and more!
• Keep a sandbox clean. Tip: make sure that your child(ren) do not eat or drink in the sandbox.
• Alternative use sandbox: a swimming pool, beverage cooler, pond or planter.

5 times why you shouldn’t take sandbox for kids

We have a sandbox in the garden. And a water table, a swimming pool, a trampoline and 100 tractors and bicycles. There is no shortage of toys here, you read that. But today it’s about our sandbox. Because I kind of have a love-hate relationship with it. I find sand really everywhere, except in the sandbox.

We have such a hideous blue shell. We once bought it for our dog, so that it could cool down a bit in the summer. But then we had children. The first summer with child, we filled the blue shell with water. But because our son loved the sandbox at the KDV, we decided to get a bag of play sand. The worst decision ever. We couldn’t be happier with it. But I’ve since developed an antipathy to sand.

Why you shouldn’t take a sandbox

So I have a love-hate relationship with the sandbox, our sandbox that is. Whenever I decide to clean it up resolutely after unsolicited sand has been thrown into my living room again, two children sit as quiet as a mouse and play sweetly in it. Okay, not just yet. But it doesn’t take long before I’m tired of that thing again. I give you 5 reasons why you should think extra carefully before you buy a sandbox.

#1 Sand does NOT stay in the sandbox

The ‘sand in the sandbox’ motto has apparently fallen on deaf ears. Buckets full of sand are carried here from the sandbox to the water table, because making mud is so much fun. The tractor with front loader is also filled with sand again and again. “We’re making a damn mama.” ‘Nice though.’ (NOT!)

#2 Sand gets in EVERYTHING

Our boys tend, especially with this nice weather, to take their clothes off when they go into the sandbox. Despite my ‘it’s not water’ cry. Don’t ask me what that is, but they prefer to sit with their bare buttocks in the sand. Trust me, that sand really gets in the way. In the hair, between the toes, in the ears and yes, also between the buttocks.

#3 Sand is in ALL places

Sand on the floor, sand in the sink, sand in the bathroom, we even have sand in the bed!!! It is really everywhere. Maybe it will blow in on its own, because I keep telling them to take off their shoes and socks after playing in the sandbox. If there’s one thing I hate… it’s sand in bed!

#4 Sand chafes the stomach

Our boys love to bake sand pies. Of course, in addition to that damn blue shell, we also had to buy hundreds of sand toys, such as buckets, shovels and molds. And you can bake delicious sand tarts with it, which of course must be tasted. Sand is eaten here with the skate. Under the guise of ‘it makes them very resistant’, I try not to get too stressed out.

#5 Sand CANNOT be cleaned up

And when I say NOT, I mean NOT. I can sweep or spray the garden 100 times, the sand remains visible. My garden is apparently so saturated that it will never sink between the tiles again. Even inside, the sand is difficult to expel, no matter how hard I vacuum or mop. When I walk barefoot through the living room early in the morning, I can already feel it… And then NOBODY has really been in that sandbox yet.

Choosing sandboxes and sand toys

Playing in the sand, fun for almost every child! With a sandbox from HORNBACH you buy a playground equipment that offers children many play options and stimulation of the senses. For the little ones, sand feels very interesting, especially if it is fine dry grains of sand or, mixed with water, as a sticky sand mass that you can make anything from, for example sand cakes or sand castles. We have collected information and inspiration on this subject for you here.