Hellobee Boards

we have one in the backyard. she does dump out the sand from time to time but i just sweep it up and put it back in she loves it tho!

DH build a huge one for LO. He put mesh under it so it keeps the sand in/weeds out but still allows for drainage if it rains. The sand doesn't really fly out at all. However it is fairly tall. We also live in the desert so there is a lot of dirt already.

It's definetly messy, because the sand gets everywhere, tracks into the house, etc.

We have ours on a spot in the lawn where we just cut down a tree, and the sand is that bright blue play sand, so it looks quite ridiculous, but we go with it!

I have to add that I don't think it's very messy or dirty. We always keep it covered when not in use and because the cover is like a tarp, moisture comes in and it keeps it perfect for sand castle making. But even if the sand gets dry, we just water it. It's funner when you can make sand castles

BTW, that little sandbox of ours has 25 bags of sand (20 kilos each). A heck of a lot more sand than I expected!

@locavore_mama: Thanks! DH worked hard on it. We were expecting a kit, but all it came with was cut wood, a bag of bolts and the guards. Nothing was pre-drilled and it badly needed reinforcment. He even cut the bricks around it himself. I think he did an excellent job

@mediagirl: It came with a tarp. It fits surprisingly well and easy to put on. I definitely don't want to welcome any cats! I was wondering the same thing about the rain, but people around here seem to welcome it. Wooden covers with a slight gap for the rain to seep through are really popular around here.

Sand that's "sand cake" friendly is also prefered, that's the reason why we avioded sand from ToyRUs (you can't make sand castles with it, or so they say).