Tips for Shelling With Children
When we first introduced our kids to the beach as toddlers, they weren’t particularly interested in shells. They were more focused on the waves and the gulf waters where (in their minds) sharks, Jonah’s whale, and sunken ships reside. They were proud of themselves for running into the lapping waves and then back into their parents’ arms again.
It wasn’t until the age of three or four that our kids started to realize that the shells that they always found to be insignificant (after all, they are everywhere on the beach, like blades of grass in a meadow) were of great interest to the adults wandering the beach. As soon as the children realized that shells were just as worthy of admiration as the gulf waters, they were overwhelmed because there were so many shells for their little eyes to take in! At this stage of childhood we simply handed our kids buckets and let them fill them with any shell, be it broken or bleached, that they wanted to pick up. They brought us bucket after bucket of shells that my husband and I ooh-ed and ah-ed over as intently as we did our own discoveries.
We put together some tips for helping your child to focus when shelling. If you can interest them in some of these activities, you will end up with fewer bags of randomly scooped up shells and debris, and they will enjoy walking the beach as much as playing in the water.
1. Tell your child to find a particular color of shell. One day my daughter and I decided we would hot glue shells to a picture frame for her room. I picked up a pink scallop shell and told her we would need to find a lot of those pink shells to have enough to make our frame. Our daughter searched determinedly, didn’t interrupt me every few seconds, and I was able to ooh and ah at an entire handful of pink scallop shells she collected. My daughter was thrilled to have been such a important part of the shell collecting that day, and she shelled longer without wanting me to stop my own collecting to take her to play in the water.
2. Look for tiny shells. Scoop your han
d into a
pile of shells or into
surf ledges and you’ll find that there are lot of little
shells that are counterparts to larger shells you are familiar with.
Some are simply the same animal as the larger variety while others are
actually the shells of entirely different mollusks that only look like
the shells of larger varieties. Either way, they are absolutely
delightful to collect, although Sanibel newcomers often overlook them.
Focus your child’s attention on finding these shells in their
scoopfuls and they will be occupied for a time.
3. Come to the beach with a list of specific shells. As your children get a little bit older, perhaps 5 years or so, you can probably come to the beach with a list of the specific shells you need for your collection. Explain that these are the only ones you are planning to take home that day because you already have the others in your collection. Your child will work hard to find shells on your list, and they will be excited that they are being such a great help to you.
4. Take the time to separate them at home. Shelling work isn’t finished when you leave the beach! You will need to wash your shells well when you get back to the place you are staying (to avoid smell) and this is a great time to separate your shells into different categories. Your children will love this as much as hunting for them out in a the sand, it gives the kids something fun to do indoors in the evening, and you won’t have the work of sorting when you get home from your vacation.