Let’s make summer memories with seashells and sea glasses.
Category: Know How
When you go to the beach, you often pick up shells, sea glass and stones, don’t you? What do you do with them after you bring them home?
Have you forgotten about them after collecting them, or do they end up in the garbage without being used before you remember?
Because
You are too busy cleaning up after your trip.
You are too busy to clean up the collection.
Children don’t clean up after themselves, etc.
As a result, it remains untouched.
・It is in a plastic bag.
・It contains sand or stones and smells bad.
Some of you must have experienced this.
For such people, we would like to introduce a way to enjoy your summer memories to the end by using seashells and sea glass.
I would like to discuss this issue assuming that you are going out by car.
First, here is how not to trash them.
1, (Preparation) Before you go out, prepare for collection.
You should prepare a bucket, a colander and a large bucket (plastic bag) for those wet items, a drainage net, and bottled water.
The following is a description of what to prepare and how to use it.
・Buckets (preferably for each person of collecting).
Buckets are used for collecting at the beach.
They have handles and are easy to put in the items picked up.
Some people may think, “Why not just use plastic bags?”
Plastic bags can be torn by shells and other debris, and there is also the risk of them being blown away by the wind on the beach.
If they are torn and fly away, they end up in the garbage.
Therefore, we recommend buckets.
It is best to choose a material that will not rust in seawater.
When preparing more than one, it is best to choose one that can be stacked.
・Colanders
A colander is used for collecting and removing excess sand.
By using a colander to remove excess sand before taking it home, it will be easier to clean up after you return home.
The colander can also be used to store shells that might break if placed in a drainage net, described below.
Use it to clean them after you bring them home.
Choose a material that will not rust in seawater.
・Drainage net and rubber bands (prepare more than the number of people collecting.)
Use them to separate collected items.
It can be used like a colander.
You brought a stack of buckets and colanders when you came, but what about when you return?
You may not be able to stack buckets because children resist mixing their own shells with those of their brothers and sisters to bring them home.
By placing each shell in a double-layered drainage net and closing the mouth with a rubber band, you can bring home the smallest number of buckets possible.
Cleanup will also be easier for each of you to wash.
・Bottled water
Use to remove sand just before getting in the car.
In restrooms near the beach, you will often see signs prohibiting the washing of sand and other materials.
We understand that you want to clean up before getting in the car, but you also want to teach your children to use restrooms with good manners.
Water can also be used for hydration.
・A large bucket for wet items (if not available, a plastic bag)
This is used to hold items with sand or saltwater on them and to carry them home.
It is also useful to keep the inside of the car clean.
2, (Cleanup and washing up)
Now, let’s clean up the collected items.
Wash the collected items you brought home by repeatedly dipping he entire drainage net in a bucket of water and then leave it in the bucket of water.
Repeat for a few days until no more sand comes out.
Next, dry the entire drainage net on a balcony or other location.
For shellfish such as mollusks, change direction from time to time, as water tends to accumulate inside the shell.
Finally, remove them from the net and spread them out to dry to finish cleaning.
In some cases, there is a smell in spite of having gone through the trouble of cleaning.
When we investigated the cause, we found that it was because we accidentally picked up hermit crabs or small crabs instead of empty shells.
It is a good idea to remove them and clean it again.
Also, even if you think you have cleaned the shells cleanly, sand may remain in the shells and come out.
Therefore, once they have been dried, they should be stored in an empty box or the like.
When storing them, it is a good idea to change the boxes or create partitions in the boxes to roughly separate fragile items from non-fragile ones.
Use shells collected and cleaned from the sea for crafts.
You can make various crafts with shells and sea glass.
They can be transformed into various shapes depending on your ideas.
Some of the crafts introduced here can be made on the same day, while others can be made over time, spending time each day.
It is a good idea to make them during the long summer vacation.
3, (Utilization)
(Example 1) Enjoy decorating
Handmade frames covered with shells
(Example 2) Enjoy decorating
Decorate a large seashell with various shells and corals.
(Example 3) Enjoy using
Fish made with sea grasses
(Example 4) Enjoy crafting
Let’s make the inside of the sea.
4, (Rules and regulations)
The most important thing is discussion with the participants.
It is important to discuss and make a commitment with family members from the preparation stage to the final utilization.
It would be great if we could even decide on the division of roles among the participants during the discussion.
How did you feel?
We hope you will use the information we have provided to create fun summer vacation memories.
Kids Idea supports your summer vacation crafts.
We also offer online private lessons (in Japanese only), so please take advantage of them.
Private Lesson (30 minutes)
Private Lesson (60 minutes)
Please let us, Kids’ Ideas, know when you have created a wonderful work of art.
Contact
Related Items:
- [download product] Coloring or Paper cut out : Fish motifs (Middle size, A4 size 5 sheets, black and white) From “Fish in the Seas near Japan Vol. 1”
- [download product] Game or Paper cut out : Fish motifs (Middle size, A4 size 5 sheets, full colors) From “Fish in the Seas near Japan Vol. 1”
- [download product] Paper cut out : Fish motifs (Small size, A4 size 1 sheet, Background 1 sheet, full color) From “Fish in the Seas near Japan Vol. 1”
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