Make Your Own 'Sand' Cups (A Fun Take on Dirt Cups)

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What kid doesn’t love a dirt cup? And just in time for beach season, here is a perfect take on this classic dessert. Use the ingredients and instructions below, or just get creative and have fun!

What you will need:

1. Clear plastic cups 
2. Vanilla/Gold/White cake, baked into cupcakes. Slice of top and crumble, leaving the bottoms of the cupcakes aside.
3. Chocolate chip cookies or sugar cookies, crumbled
4. Something blue! Use cool whip, whip cream, or vanilla pudding with blue food dye or blue frosting.
5. Candy toppings: Swedish fish, ‘o’ shaped candy like lifesavers or gummy rings.
6. More decoration ideas: You can use pop up cocktail umbrellas or plastic beach decorations like these:

Click on images to view product pages. We've not used these items in our own home, but they have great reviews on Amazon and would be great additions to this project.

Cocktail umbrellas

Shells: These are edible!

Surfboard decor

Mermaid sprinkles: These are edible!

​You may also like the following products for this activity:

Click on images to view product pages. We've not used these items purchased from Amazon in our own home, but they have great reviews on Amazon and would be great additions to this project.

Swedish Fish

Gummy Lifesavers

Clear plastic 9oz. cups

Instructions:

​In three easy steps your child can create this adorable and delicious beach themed dessert.

1. Place a cupcake bottom at the bottom of the plastic cup. 
2. Add a layer of “blue”, followed by a layer of crumbles of choice (cookie, cake, or both), and a second “blue”
3. Top with candy and decorations.
4. ENJOY!!!

MAKE IT EDUCATIONAL!

Many readers already know baking is educational. Measuring helps teach fractions and fine motor skills. Baking helps teach sequences, following steps, highlights cause and effect, and for older children, gives the opportunity to practice reading skills. 

So, to use the sand cup activity as a homeschool activity, simply have your children help with baking!

You can use prompts below as a guide, and tailor them to your child's academic level:

1. Read the instructions. What is the first step?
2. First we pour 'x'. What comes next? 
3. We need [1/2 cup] of [sugar]. Let's look at the bottom number (the denominator). How many parts make a whole in this fraction? (Answer = 2). 
4. What temperature do we need to set the oven at? What do you think would happen if we set it higher? Lower?
5. Let's use the food dye to make new colors! What color do you think yellow and blue would make? What about red and blue? What would happen if we added more [red/blue/yellow/green] to this?
6. The recipe says to bake for 30 minutes? 30 minutes is how much of an hour? (Answer: 1/2 Hour). What if we baked for 15 minute? How many parts of an hour would that be (Answer: 1/4)? How many parts of 30 minutes is 15 minutes? (Answer 15/30, 1/2, etc.). 

​Love this? Be sure to share!

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