Prepare the Work Area

• Minimize mess and simplify cleanup by covering the kids' work table and the floor beneath the table with plastic tarps. Although pieces of scrap paper or old newspapers would also work, the grainy sand will slip through the sheets and coat the table or floor.
  
  Give each child the lid of a cardboard box with sides that rise at least one inch to catch stray sand as they work on the projects. Use the corner of the lid to funnel the extra sand back into the container before the kids switch colors.
  
  

Design Decorations

• Help guests create beach-themed sand mosaics and display them on the wall with temporary adhesive. Give the kids 8-inch-by-10-inch pieces of poster board and let them paint "waves" along the bottom with white glue. Sprinkle different shades of blue sand onto the glue. Provide small shells sold at craft stores to use as "mosaic tiles" to affix to the background with dabs of white glue. Demonstrate how to arrange the shells to form larger images such as a sun, sandcastle or fish on the space above the sand-covered waves.
  
  

Organize a Contest

• Design sand bottle art by giving each guest a washed and dried recycled plastic water bottle with the label removed. Let the kids pour different colors of sand into the bottle to produce a layered piece of art that they can present as a gift to the birthday honoree.
  
  Exhibit the objects on an entryway table. Give each guest a prize such as a plastic bucket and sand toys or a gift certificate to an ice cream parlor for "winning" in a category such as "most creative," "most colorful" or "most eye-catching."
  
  

Make Party Souvenirs

• Let the guests create a craft sand picture frame that they can keep as a memento from the birthday festivities. Give each child a pre-made frame for a 4-inch-by-6-inch photo made from craft foam or chipboard, sold at craft and art supply stores. Let the kids use a paintbrush and white glue to create a word, design or pattern such as stripes or polka dots on the frame. Sprinkle sand over the glue and tap off the excess. Continue painting and adding different colors of sand until the kids are pleased with the results.
  
  Take a photo of each child with the birthday honoree during the event and output copies on a home photo printer to insert in the frames before the end of the party. Affix two pieces of magnetic adhesive tape to the back of each frame so the kids can display the souvenir on the refrigerator at home.