We built a castle near the rocks,
we built it out of sand.

Our fortress was an ice-cream box
with turret, tall and grand.

Our men were twigs, our gun were straws
from which we’d sipped at lunch.

We had the best of wars…
till someone’s foot

went

CRUNCH!

by Joan Walsh Anglund

Esther and William love the beach

I think it is in their genes

David and I love the beach

Both of us always have

And not just the sun drenched gold

Of foreign shores

But the moody beauty

Of our British coastline

The wind

The waves

The salty streams

Hidden treasures

Skimming stones

Collecting shells

We truly do love

To be beside the sea

It is the reason

Our beautiful baby girl

Is now our star of the sea

Why her ashes

Sailed down the river

Over the sea to the sky

Tilda is everywhere

But we always feel closest to her near water

Raindrops and rivers

Oceans and streams

Matilda Mae is everywhere

During our time at Coombe Mill

We always spend lots of time by the sea

Esther and William are off as soon as they hit the sand

William loves running in the wide open spaces

Esther likes to feel the grains between her fingers

Between her toes

William loves to make tracks and trails with his spade

Esther loves making patterns with pebbles and shells

They both love to bury things and find them again

They have great fun burying and digging out Daddy

It is a happy talent to know how to play.
by Ralph Waldo Emerson

Esther and William are so lucky

That they have a Daddy and a Granddad

Who adore sand and water play

As soon as they hit the beach

The tools come out and they are busy

Building castles and fortresses

Digging out water ways

Making bridges and dams

Rummaging in rock pools

And hunting in deep dark caves

Clambering and climbing

Over and under and through

Every excursion to the seaside

Is a new adventure

Discovering new ways of playing

With the sea and the sand

We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.
by George Bernard Shaw

This holiday Esther and William

Loved using their Crocs as boats

Something I think they will do every time

We now visit the sea

Croc Boats!

If you have not tried it you must

Esther and William learned about floating and sinking

How to make channels and change the direction of the water

We talked about tides

About creatures who live in and near to the sea

There is so much to learn through playing with sand and with water

So much to experience when doing that in a natural setting

Such as beside the sea

Play, incorporating animistic and magical thinking is important because it:
Fosters the healthy, creative and emotional growth of a child;
Forms the best foundation for later intellectual growth;
Provides a way in which children get to know the world and creates possibilities for different ways of responding to it;
Fosters empathy and wonder.”
by Rachel Carson

We adore our time by the sea

Sand on our skin

Wind in our hair

Writing Tilda’s name in the sand

Sending bubble kisses to the sky

It is our place

A place we can be together

Often roaming independently

Creating our own memories

Lost in our own thoughts

Imagining our own worlds

But together

Playing together

Being together

On the sand

By the sea

Family

If a child is to keep his inborn sense of wonder, he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement, and mystery of the world we live in.
by Rachel Carson