As I write this post, it is officially the first day of summer 2024. And we are in the middle of a heat bubble here in Ohio. I was not built for heat. I will never be the person that is excited for summer weather. But, I am the person excited for flip flops and hanging out on the beach for a few hours and backyard fire pits with roasted marshmallows. I love fireflies and sandcastles and stargazing. So, summer usually has me pretty conflicted between being physically comfortable or having fun.
That’s one of the things I like about this week’s craft. It is a piece of summer that you can create while enjoying the AC. Win-win! And this week’s Castle Climb game is pretty fun, too. Great for practice and for giving your learners self-direction while still knowing that they will end up practicing all the words in the end. More about that a little later – for now, let’s dive into this craft.
Supply List
- Cardboard tube
- Kraft paper (or a paper grocery bag)
- Blue background paper
- Tan paint
- Paint brush, cup, apron, and table covering
- White colored pencil
- Brown marker/crayon
- Scissors
- Glue
- Hot glue gun
Step-by-Step Directions
I am almost always going to start with the painting part when I make a craft. So, here we are going to decide if we want a horizontal or vertical sandcastle. I already had a vertical one, so I am going for horizontal with this example. I prefer to just squirt my paint straight onto my paper when I am just painting a big box area like this. You could always use a paint cup or a paper plate and use the brush to put the paint on. It is up to you. Either way, you just need to cover the bottom one-third or one-half of your blue paper with your tan paint. I like to make it a thin layer so it dries quickly.
While the paint dries, you need to do some cutting and decorating. You could also plug in the hot glue gun now so that it is ready when you are. But that is your call. Anyway, back to cutting. The first thing I cut is the cardboard tube. I squish it in half and make folds so that I can cut it in half vertically.
Your castle front wall is a big rectangle. It needs to be shorter than your cardboard tube towers and you need it to fit on your paper in the direction you chose when you painted. You can make notches in the top of the wall so your archers can defend your keep. Or not, if you don’t want to. Next, I like to make a square and then just cut it in half diagonally to make the triangles for the top of the towers. But you can free cut triangles as well. You know I am all about you making this project yours.
Now it is time to decorate your castle. I use a brown crayon and a white colored pencil. I draw the little ledges, windows, arch doorways, and such on the wall and the towers. You could also draw on the triangles if you like. No rules here.
Once your paint is dry, you can glue the castle wall to your blue paper. You want to put it roughly in the center, with space for your towers and the triangle tops to fit.
Now it is time to use the hot glue gun to attach your towers. You can put them at the edges of the wall, or you can put them more towards the middle. I always opt for the edges of the wall. Regardless, the bottom edges should line up. Be careful not to burn yourself on this step – it is tricky and is probably best done by an adult or with direct supervision.
Our final step is to glue the triangles at the tops of your towers. And that is it! Your summer sandcastle is complete.
As I say every week, my goal with this blog is to make sure that people leave each of my posts feeling equipped to practice articulation or phonics with their learner. So, I always have a game from my Teachers Pay Teachers store (Autumn Emigh Creative Communication Solutions) on special sale for you. This week, it is a game called “Castle Climb.” The product includes instructions with a link to a digital Google Slides game. You also receive printable game boards in color and black and white. The digital and printable versions of the game contain the same 10 final SL blend words for your learner to practice. Get it until July 19th for half price – just $1.00!
Just click on the photo above or HERE to get your copy today! And be sure to fill out the form below to get on my email list. Not only are my email subscribers the first to know when each of my blog posts goes live, they also get information about products, events, and summits each week. I’ll always do my best to make it worthwhile for you to stick around, but it is super easy to unsubscribe if you ever wish to.
That’s it for this week. I hope you have a chance to enjoy some summer fun this week. I will be back next week with a Cardboard Tube Fireworks craft and a Firework Frenzy game.
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