How to make a Sandbox in a day (and a half)

With the weather as great as it was for the 4th of July holiday, we wanted to spend some time outside this year. That and trying to get the kids away from the computers, DSs, Vtechs, Leapsters, etc. So, of course, there had to be something to do outside, or we’d never hear the end of “I’m sooooo bored, what can we do,” etc. etc.

We figured we could whip up a sandbox in a day--how hard can it be? Actually, not very, it turns out. Better yet, when we added on to the house a few years back, I elected to dismantle the old deck (instead of letting the contractor demolish it). All that wood was just in a pile next to the toolshed. So in the spirit of “we better use it or throw it out”, which we adopted this year, we went through it all and found enough material to build the box--all that was left to buy was the boards for the seat and the sand of course.

With a general idea--and I mean general, as in “let’s make it about 5x7 feet, it’s just a box after all”, we measured (twice of course) and cut and deck-screwed (I had left-overs) the box together in just about a day. We dug down a bit to even the ground and put down some landscape-fabric to keep the weeds out, and put the box in place. Then we added the sand. We had to get bags--all the other places that had sand on bulk were closed for the holiday--the nerve of these people :)

When I say ‘we added the sand’ it sounds pretty easy, right? Well, it is, except for the schlepping 40 bags of 50 lbs sand from the truck to the sandbox! Good exercise though.

So we finished about a half hour before it got dark and the kids got to play in it for a bit before we covered it up with a tarp. We’ll have to build a cover next, ‘cause we don’t plan to provide a nice kitty-outhouse for the neighborhood.

Even though the kids went to bed around 10 that night, they were still up early the next morning to get back in the box. It only took us about an hour or so to add the seat. I’ll still have to do some sanding around the edges, but it’s pretty much done and looks mahhvellous, if I do say so myself.