~~~ A Great Beach Activity for Kids ~~~ Vero Vine ~~~ Vero Beach, FL

You’ve spent the morning beachcombing with your children and have found some really neat items: beautiful seashells; gorgeous agates; small, uniquely shaped pieces of driftwood. The kids want to take everything home and you’re concerned the items might get lost in the luggage or perhaps even more devastating to your young ones, broken.

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Calling on a fond childhood memory from time spent in the Scouts and trips to the beach, I’d like to suggest you spend the afternoon making Easy Sand Candles. It’s a fun activity, a great way to preserve your beach treasures, and one more memory to create during your family beach vacation!

What you’ll need:

Paraffin (from the hardware store or a craft store)
Crayon pieces for color
Wick or store bought votive
Small stick for hanging the wick, if using
The beach! (or sand in a container if you’re no longer on vacation)
Supplies to build a campfire on the beach (or your stovetop)
Small coffee can or old pot to melt the wax. (Do not use a good pot for this, as it’s nearly impossible to wash the wax out completely.)
Larger coffee can or pot to fill with water and use with the wax can/pot as a double-boiler
Hot pad or towel to handle coffee cans or pots safely

Process:

If you’re lucky enough to still be on your beach vacation, build a campfire. You’ll be melting the wax after you have everything else prepared.
Dig a hole in the damp beach sand where your candle will be formed. Be sure to make the bottom of the hole as wide and flat as you can so when you remove your candle from the sand, it will stand/sit on a flat surface safely.
Select the beach treasures you would like to embed into the sides and bottom of your candle and arrange them in the hole before you pour the wax.
If you are using a store-bought votive, center it in the hole. If you are using a wick, cut a piece the correct length and dangle it over the hole using the small stick.
Next, melt the wax over the campfire using the double boiler of coffee cans or old pots. Use caution! Chopping the paraffin into small chunks will help it melt better. Add bits of crayon to color your candle to your liking.
After the wax and crayon is melted, pour it slowly into your hole.

Let your candle dry completely before popping in out of the sand. Brush away the extra sand and your sand candle is ready to display, gift, or use!

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Nikki Kalin

Nikki Kalin literally has the Treasure Coast, especially Vero Beach as her home and her office. Having grown up and educated in Indian River County Nikki works with a deep knowledge to tend Vero Vine with a continual reach into all the communities of the Treasure Coast. She is in the vineyard virtually every day. Following its growth, nurturing start-ups, longtime roots, and branches of businesses, non-profits, municipalities, and everyday people. Nikki makes certain Vero Vine is connected.

The “real world” is Vero Beach Marketing where Nikki was recruited and is being mentored by Creative Director/ Owner, Stacy Cook. Nikki’s daily efforts include website management, email marketing, newsletter development, and most notably social engagement. Nikki has been instrumental in the deployment for the last two years of the “VeroBeach Marketing Summit” coordinating scheduling for regional and local experts in the digital space. In 2018 Nikki was responsible for the Email Marketing break out session, presenting her experience and insights to an audience of local businesses and professionals.

All of this is on behalf of local business clients and Vero Vine contributors. Nikki curates the good news about events, philanthropic happenings, and all the adventures in the Paradise of Vero Beach and the Treasure Coast. Updating Vero Vine, Vero Beach Foodie, and all of their client’s websites and Socials Nikki Kalin makes sure that the world has everything on Vero Vine within reach.