"Best Beach Find Contest" -- Fun on the Beach with Kids

We're off to the beach today for a shell search. Chesapeake Beach is a shell-lovers paradise, as is our other favorite beach in Florida at Summer Dream in WindMark Beach.
Once we collect our treasures along the shore, we shall designate a "Beach's Best Find contest" -- not just for the most beautiful shell, or most perfect (least broken), mind you. I like the categories our children dream up the best.
Past winners include:
Best Shell for Painting. . . Most Holes. . . Smoothest . . . Roughest. . . Most Ridges. . . Most Colors on One Shell. . . Most Recently Lived-In. . . Funniest Looking. . . Most Artistic . . . Smelliest Shell (Check this post for tips to remove that stink.) . . . From the Scariest Creature -- the winner of this category was a 2 inch long shark's tooth.
Today, we hope to create new ways to win.
And while we are visiting the beach, we'll have to build in the sand. I love this "farewell to winter" Sandman. We can appreciate a sight like this in Maryland -- where winter-time beach combing requires a good bit of bundling to avoid the biting winter breeze. Now that Spring is in the air, we can shed a few layers and possibly some shoes, to savor some good old fashioned sand-play the way (I believe) nature intended!

How to Remove a Smell from a Shell

After a beach search left my sons raving about winning the "Stinkiest Shell" category in the Family "Best Beach Find Contest," we searched for a solution that would convince their mom to allow them to keep their Smelly discovery.

I found this tip (which I'm paraphrasing here) in a little guidebook from our library, Shellcraft Secrets by Greg and Shelley Stahly.

Removing a Smell from a Shell
1. Make sure there is no animal living in the shell. If you cannot tell whether or not an animal is still inside, it is best to leave it at the beach. Once the shell is home, however, and you are unsure if it is still inhabited, place the shell in water for a few days, being sure to replace the water each day.
2. Place the shell into a bucket of water with 2 Tbs baking soda for one hour.
3. Rinse with water and let dry.

Other techniques to try: Boiling the shell for 15 minutes. Freezing the shell overnight in your freezer. Or hanging the shell outside for several days -- the smell will eventually go away.

Earth Day Crafts for Kids

Springtime is a wonderful time to enjoy the outdoors with children. This is one of my favorite books for inspiring fun in nature and creativity. . .Ecology Crafts for Kids by Bobbe Needham. A great reference for Earth Day fun!

Encourage your children to recycle and care for the environment with this book. It contains 50 ideas using items from nature (stones, sticks, plants, etc.) and recycled materials (cans, paper bags, newspapers, etc.) A few of their eco-friendly ideas include: license plate bird feeder, handprint giftwrap, a wooden house for bats, birch bark canoe, potato print shirts, mosaic flowerpots, sketch and press nature journals, paper bag books, cut and paste bottles and jars, corn husk sunflowers, papier mache pinata and hats, Eco party ideas, bottle gardens, natural cosmetics, and more.

Craft ideas range from easy to more challenging and are appropriate for a variety of age ranges, though elementary and middle school aged students would enjoy them the most. The book is filled with several photographs for each activity making it a hit with visual learners!

In addition to great craft ideas, the book highlights several environmental organizations -- many started by kids -- that are making a difference. This book just might inspire your child to get involved!

Click Here for More Earth Day Fun: Touch the Earth Game.