Sand boxes can be loads of fun! In addition to the usual sand castles forms, buckets, and shovels, here are a few more offbeat ways to enjoy your sandbox.

One of the more unusual sand boxes in our area is actually a corn box. This area is very agricultural in nature, and one of the farms created a large play area for kids. Included is a huge sand box filled with different colors of corn kernels. Not only is this a fun idea, but it works well for parents. After a quick emptying of shoes and pockets, the kids are ready to get back in the car.

Sand may be composed of crushed rock as well as bits of shell. If you head south a bit, you can pick up on the mining industry's panning for precious stones idea. Add a bag of mixed gems- quartz, garnet, etc. in the rough- to your sand box, and enjoy watching the children sift through the sandbox searching for treasure.

This is also a great way to introduce kids to gem and mineral identification, and you can create wire wrapped jewelry out of what they "find". Rose quartz, mica, and garnet are all readily available. Emeralds in the rough are quite interesting as well. Kids generally love pyrite, or Fool's Gold, which can be very fun for them to find.

Shell pearls make very nice necklaces, as do small sea shells themselves.  Add in different themes for different treasure hunts!  Pirate gold (sweepstakes coins are great for that), sea shells, rocks and minerals, dinosaur bones, etc.

For a great craft idea, consider dampening the sandbox and smoothing it over. Let out the bunny rabbit, cat, or dog, and get a few good sets of animal tracks running through your sandbox. Kids can make hand and footprints as well.

Grab some Plaster of Paris, and gently, carefully, cover over the tracks. Once the plaster dries, you should have fairly decent molds of the tracks. These can be painted, decorated, and turned into fun crafts. Make a wall hanging, a keepsake gift for a relative, or tiles for a frame. This idea is nice because it involves fun both outdoors and indoors.

My half-brother used to make molds of raccoon, deer, and other tracks he found along the sandy shore of a small creek in the woods. If you are lucky enough to have an area with wildlife, so much the better!

The very best ideas for fun in the sandbox will probably come from your own kids! If you want a surefire success, just consider what they like, and find a way to use it.

For example, my kids really love dinosaurs. How about an archaeological "dig" in the sandbox for some three dimensional dinosaur skeletons? Or a "nest" of fizzy eggs with dinosaur toys inside?

Grab some hedge clippings, tree branches, and a garden hose, and transform your sandbox into a mighty jungle, or squishy swamp!  Kids can run, jump, and elbow-crawl their way through a relay course while water balloons crash and splash all around!

There is no comparison to a child's imagination. If a small twig can become a baby monster, just imagine what a sandbox surrounded by building blocks, trucks, and more can be!