Sand Horses And Beach Sculptures

Have you read The Sand Horse written by Ann Turnbull and beautifully illustrated by Michael Foreman?

It captures the ephemeral beauty of sand sculptures as the sand horse created on St Ives beach by a local artist longs to join the white horses out at sea.  We were sent it by an elderly Cornish aunt who is proud of her roots and always sends us great books – the children love it.

We made a mermaid at the water’s edge after we read it with a tail made of shells and flowing seaweed locks.  Then we sat and had a picnic as the tide came in and washed over her.   We imagined her gradually swimming out to sea and made stories up about where she was going.  Who was she swimming with and would she come back to visit us again the next time we came down to the beach?

This really captured the imagination of my 4 year old daughter and now whenever we’re near sand, even at the park, she urges me ‘Mummy, mummy, let’s make a mermaid again.’

And, if you’re feeling very ambitious just take a look at this amazing video which takes sand sculpture to a whole other level.

Have you ever tried your hand at sand scultping?  What did you make?