Hello my Omschooligans! here with a beach day unit of lesson plans for summer fun (and learning!) in the sun. And you know me--I'm all about recycling, repurposing and reusing. Today's beach craft activities feature craft projects from your recycle bin. Make DIY beach toys, sand castle molds and gardening tools from recycled plastic milk jugs. Next, enjoy a menu of beach themed snack crafts you can make yourself. You'll love the Teddy Graham sunbather! Enjoy these with some beach themed books. Then use free printable beach dioramas and coloring pages to make a shoebox habitat diorama! Use these for homeschool, vacation Bible school craft projects, summer school, camp, scout troop, 4H group and day care kids crafts.

DIY Beach & Garden Tools from Recycled Milk Jugs

Supplies Needed

2 clean plastic milk jugs per child
Permanent marker
Sturdy scissors (child-safe Fiskars scissors work well)

Instructions

1. Gardening Buckets, Plant Starters, or Sand Pails

Draw a line around the base of the milk jug, approximately 3 inches from the bottom.
Carefully poke a hole on this line with your scissors.
Cut along the line all the way around to remove the top half of the jug.
Use the base as a sand pail, gardening bucket, or plant starter.

2. Sand Toy Strainers or Sifters

Follow the same steps as above to create the bucket base.
Additionally, poke several small holes in the bottom of the jug to create a sifter or strainer for beach play.

3. Funnels or Sand Castle Molds

Take the remaining top portion of the milk jug.
Draw a circle around the top of the jug, about 2 inches down from the mouth.
Poke a hole on the line and cut around the circle in a toothed pattern to create your funnel or sandcastle mold.

4. Trowels and Garden Rakes

Use the remaining piece of the jug containing the handle.
Trace along the indentation where the handle attaches to the jug.
Cut along this line to separate the handle piece from the rest of the jug.
For a Trowel: Trim the top part (above the upper end of the handle) into a v-shaped point.
For a Garden Rake: Cut a zigzag edge into the bottom of the trowel piece.

5. Handled Shovels

Draw a circle around the base of the handle where it attaches to the jug, leaving about an inch of space.
Cut along the circle and remove the top end of the jug.
You now have a sturdy, handled shovel perfect for the beach or garden.

More sand castle molds from the recycle bin

When you purchase a new appliance or gadget, save those pre-formed cardboard or plastic pieces that hold the item secure in the box. These make awesome sand castle molds and best of all, you can toss them if they wet. Or you can recycle them if they are still solid.
Use recycled cottage cheese or butter tubs as sand castle molds. Cut them any way you wish!
Repurpose egg cartons as to make designs in the sand. We used them for fences, caterpillars and merlons (those square block thingys along the edge of a castle parapet). The possibilities are limited only by your imagination, which Teacher Omi knows is limitless!

From Teacher Omi's story corner

Round out your beach day adventures with a snuggle and a snack in the ! Here's a list of beach themed books and stories. Keep reading for recipes to make beachy snack crafts to nibble on!

Sand Play & Building

A Day for Sandcastles by JonArno Lawson
The Sandcastle That Lola Built by Megan Maynor – A modern, summery spin on "The House That Jack Built" featuring a giant sandcastle.
The Sand Castle Contest by Robert Munsch – A fun story about a competition where a sandcastle is built so well it looks like a real house.
Watch Me Build a Sandcastle by Jack Otten.

Beach Exploration & Adventures

Beach by Elisha Cooper – Captures the simple magic of a day at the beach and building memories.
Hello, Ocean by Pam Muñoz Ryan – A beautiful, sensory-rich celebration of a day spent at the shore.
Come Again, Pelican by Don Freeman – A gentle, beautifully illustrated story about the friendship between a boy and a pelican, capturing the quiet, magical moments of a beach day. (one of Teacher Omi's and Uncle Jakey's favoritest stories ever!)
Bluey: The Beach – Join Bluey for a fun-filled day of discovery and shell collecting.
Llama Llama Sand and Sun by Anna Dewdney – An interactive, touch-and-feel book featuring sandcastles and splashing in the waves.
Wave by Suzy Lee – A stunning, wordless picture book about a little girl’s first time at the beach and her interaction with the tide.
At the Beach by Anne F. Rockwell – Highlights classic activities like sandcastle building and seashell collecting.

Sensory & Nature Guides

Beach Feet by Kiyomi Konagaya – A unique, sensory-focused look at how a child experiences the sand and shore with their feet.
Sandy Feet! Whose Feet? by Susan Wood – An informative book about identifying animal footprints in the sand.
Backpack Explorer: Beach Walk by Editors of Storey Publishing – A hands-on field guide for little beachcombers to identify shells, rocks, and shorebirds.
This Beach is Loud! by Samantha Cotterill – A great story for children who might feel overwhelmed by the sensory experience of a busy beach day.

Here are four easy beach-themed snack crafts that are perfect for summer fun!

Teddy Graham Beach Scene: Use a whole graham cracker as the base. Spread "aqua blue" vanilla frosting over one half to represent the ocean. Add Froot Loops or Lifesavers candy life rings and gummy bears or Teddy Grahams bobbing in the waves. Spread the other half with peanut butter and sprinkle with crushed graham crackers "sandy" side with a Teddy Graham "sunbather" on a piece of tie-dye Fruit Roll-Up as the towel. If you're feeling creative, give him little black sunglasses made from black decorator icing! Poke a little drink umbrella near him.

Sea Turtle Crackers: Create a turtle shell by spreading cream cheese tinted green with spirulina or spinach powder or a little green Kool-Aid on a round cracker. Place golden raisins (like Raisels) in rows on top of the cream cheese to resemble shell scales. Finish the turtle by arranging mandarin orange slices around the cracker for flippers and placing half a strawberry at the top to serve as the turtle's head.
Jellyfish Snack: Use and apple wedge or mandarin orange for the body. You can also cut a semi-circle from cantaloupe or honeydew melon. Attach Trolli or neon gummy worms with a dab of cream cheese, for tentacles.
Beach Pudding Cups: In clear plastic cocktail cups, create an ocean layer using blue pudding or green or blue yogurt. Add a sand layer to one half, using crushed graham crackers. Once assembled, place a Swedish fish or goldfish crackers on the "sandy" shore or "swimming" in the pudding.

Crabby "Sand" wiches: Make a simple crab, chicken or crab salad mixing meat, mayo, mustard (if desired) and chopped celery, red bell pepper and scallions. Season with dill. Spread on a croissant. Give the crab frilly lettuce leaf claws and Spanish olive eyes on mini pretzels sticks. Or cut a piece of celery skinny for his eye stalks. Serve on a plate with crushed potato chips for sand. Give him a jaunty beach cocktail umbrella if you wish.

Printable 3D Beach & Ocean Scenes

While enjoying your snacks and story time, how about some free printable beach diorama coloring pages? Create vibrant 3D beach models to decorate your room!

Ocean Triorama Project: This project uses a "triorama" template—a simple 3D habitat that kids can color, cut, fold, and build. It includes printable pieces like fish, sea turtles, coral, and seaweed, making it a great science-focused activity for learning about habitats.
Coral Reef Diorama Craft: Perfect for a more detailed underwater scene, this set includes printables for colorful coral, shells, and various sea creatures. You can assemble these into a freestanding L-shaped base or use them to decorate a larger shoebox diorama.
Color, Cut & Build a Beach Scene: This set features 5 pages of beach illustrations—such as palm trees, lighthouses, surfboards, and sandcastles—that kids can color and turn into 3D stand-up decorations. It’s designed to be arranged and rearranged for endless imaginative play.

DIY Beach Habitat Diorama: Recycled Treasures!

Now bring it all together to create a shoebox habitat diorama. We use our recycle bin and beach day found objects to make a vibrant 3D beach habitat. This project is perfect for storytelling, learning about coastal ecosystems, and stretching those creative muscles!

What You’ll Need:

The Base: A clean, empty shoebox (or any sturdy cardboard box).
The Scenery:
- Free Printable Ocean Triorama Template (for easy 3D elements).
- Coral Reef Diorama Printable (to add detailed coral and sea creatures).
- Color, Cut & Build a Beach Scene printables (for land-based items like lighthouses).
Found Objects: Real sand, small shells, pebbles, and tiny pieces of driftwood from your latest nature walk.
Decorations: glitter, glitter glue (or crayons), sequins (to look like shells or fish) cotton balls for clouds,
Tools: Crayons or markers, sticker labels, paint or paint pens, scissors, glue stick or tape, and cardstock.

Step-by-Step Instructions:

Prepare the "Stage": Lay your shoebox on its side and place it inside the cover so you'll have a little "theater" with scenery, background and stage. Paint or color the inside back wall half light blue for the sky and half dark blueish green for the water. Leave the bottom portion plain to represent the sand.
Build Your 3D Elements: Color and cut out your chosen printable pieces. Using cardstock for your prints will help your creatures and plants stand up much sturdier.
Assemble the Habitat: Glue your printable creatures, coral, and plants into the box at different depths to create a realistic, layered underwater or beach view.
Add Real Texture: This is where the magic happens! Apply glue stick or glue all over the base (lid of shoebox). Sprinkle glitter and sand and then carefully shake excess onto a recycled piece of paper. Arrange your collected shells and pebbles to give the scene a tactile, natural finish. Glue clouds on the sky and some sequins on the water part to represent fish and some on the beach for shells. Draw waves on water with glitter glue or crayons.

I'd love to see pictures of what you create if you'd like to share them in the comments!

For more creative, earth-friendly projects, visit Green Crafts and Free Lesson Plans 4u.

Free Printable Lesson Plans

Beach Day craft projects, beach-themed snack crafts, books and printable beach dioramas