Why not build a sand castle on your next creative family beach vacation?

Sand castles are fun. Here are some tips to build your own fantastic little masterpiece of water and sand.

What you will need
To start, you will need a few simple implements. They are:

1) A small shovel.
2) Small buckets of various sizes.
3) Small knives, spoons, and shaping utensils.
4) A ready supply of water.
5) Food coloring (Optional).

Location
Just as with regular real estate, the location you choose is paramount. You want a location that this close enough to a ready supply of water, far enough away from beach traffic, yet not too close to the waves that it will be washed over and destroyed.

Accessing Water
A ready supply of water can be achieved by digging down into the sand far enough that you access the water table. An alternate solution to the problem is to use one of your buckets to bring water back from your near-by supply, such as the ocean.

Visualize
Think about what you want to build before you start. Visualize what the finished sand castle will look like. Will it be tall? Square or round? Will it have a moat? Now is the time to determine what you want...before you begin.

Combine and Pack
Combine the sand and water in your bucket. You want just the correct combination of sand and water so that the combination is moist, yet not too soupy. Remember, the right consistency will allow you to mould the sand into the proper shape, and then hold this shape when you release your hands.

Coloring
Remember we mentioned to bring along some food coloring, which was optional? Well, if you have it available, now is the time to spice up your sand castle a bit. Add a few drops of your favorite color to the water before you mix in the sand. Do you want a black foundation to your castle? How about a bright red turret? Now is the time to color your castle parts.

Positioning
Spoon the sand, water, coloring mixture into your various buckets, and place them into your castle location as per your mind's eye of your final product. Use the knives, spoons, and shaping utensils to fine tune the shape.

Protection
As a final step, build a moat around your castle. This will not only add a nice look to your masterpiece, but will help to protect it from dogs, people, and other pests.

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