Let's Hit the Beach! (Beach Toys)

Get ready for some fun in the sun! For many of us, summer weather mean trips to the beach and days spent lounging in the sand. Displays of bright plastic toys can be awfully tempting, but you can have just as much fun with toys from repurposed materials. Dive into the craft below to put together your own set of upcycled beach toys!

Supplies: 

  • Clean, empty plastic containers 
  • Craft paint (optional)
  • Produce bag
  • Duct tape
  • Permanent marker
  • Ribbon or string

Steps: 

  1. Collect your containers. Just about any container will work! Keep an eye out for different shapes and sizes to keep the fun and exploration going all day long. 
  2. If you choose, you can paint or otherwise decorate your containers!
  3. Cover the label of your produce bag with a piece of duct tape. 
  4. Using permanent marker, write the name of whoever will be using the beach toys. 
  5. Weave a piece of ribbon or string through the mesh holes in the bag, tying at the top to make a handle. 
  6. Hit the beach! 
A repurposed mesh produce bag full of upcycled beach toys from plastic containers.
Make a splash at the beach by repurposing materials that might otherwise get trashed into toys that are original AND fun (Credit: NOAA).

After a day of fun in the sun, remember to bring your toys home and store them securely.

Bonus: Stress-Free, Waste-Free Storage

Repurpose clean, empty jars to keep your phone, keys, or other valuables safe, dry, and sand-free. No assembly required! 

A phone and set of keys safely inside an empty jar.
Have you gotten all packed up and ready to leave the beach, only to realize you've buried your car keys somewhere in the sand? Keep all your valuables safe, dry, and easy to find with this trick (Photo: NOAA).
 

For citation purposes, unless otherwise noted, this article was authored by the NOAA Marine Debris Program.

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