Build Sand Castles In Your Castle Sand Box!
Written: Apr 27 '03 (Updated Apr 27 '03)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Cute box. Fun lid keeps rain & creatures out of the sand.
Cons: Why did they choose the color blue?
The Bottom Line: Very cute, castle-themed sandbox. Drawbridge and moat on the lid add to imaginative play options.
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| mizgnomer's Full Review: Castle Sandbox |
With warm weather finally here, my not-quite 2 year old son is starting to play in the yard once more. After he developed a fascination with digging in the dirt, I figured that maybe a sandbox would enable him to dig without getting quite so dirty. Although my first choice was the Little Tikes Construction Sandbox, after talking with a friend who did not have a good experience with it we decided to go with the Little Tikes Castle Sandbox instead.
Product Description:
The Little Tikes Castle Sandbox is a large, blue, castle-shaped sandbox. It is made entirely of that wonderful (indestructible) Little Tikes plastic. Circular in shape, it measures roughly 45 inches across. It can hold between 200-250 pounds of sand (but we have just 100 pounds in ours and it looks plenty full to us).
The castle design is quite cute and clever. Four turrets add to the castle-look, two of which are also seats (I don't know why they couldn't just make all 4 turrets seats). Molded into the plastic are a cute castle entrance, various windows, and the stones that make the castle walls.
The lid that fits over the sandbox is particularly nice. Molded into the plastic is a drawbridge that goes over the moat, making a nice place to play with toy trucks. There is a little alligator peeking up out of one side of the moat. The lid fits securely over the sand, keeping out rain and creepy critters.
Little Tikes recommends the Castle Sandbox for children aged 1 to 6.
Our Experiences:
Our new Castle Sandbox is definitely one of my boy's new favorite toys. Just today he woke up from him nap exclaiming "Outside! Outside!" because he wanted to go out and play in it.
Although the castle can hold 200-250 pounds of sand, after putting in just two bags (equaling 100 pounds) we found it to be more than enough sand for our toddler. Without it being completely full, we can also store his sand-toys in the box, safely under the lid, when the sandbox is not in-use.
The lid is quite lightweight -- I don't have a bit of trouble getting it onto or off of the sandbox. That being said, it has also stayed-put through a couple of vicious storms with strong gusting winds, keeping the sand dry as can be. I really like the lid-design. The edges of the lid fit down into grooves in what would be the castle's ramparts. When it rains the water rolls down off of the convex lid, into the grooves on the sides of the castle. There are then drainage areas so that water doesn't stand in the rampart-grooves either. The only slight negative to this design is that when my boy is getting over-zealous in the sandbox, sand often gets into the rampart-grooves, and it is hard to get that sand back into the sandbox.
We've found that the molded-in moat on either side of the drawbridge on the lid can hold a bit of water (not a lot of water -- it's only about an inch deep). My boy likes splashing in it a bit (by slapping his hand down in it) when it's really hot outside. It is also handy to have when you want to get the sand a little wet for building sand-castles.
My toddler loves walking across the drawbridge. It is slightly convex and is plenty wide-enough -- presenting him with a fun toy to walk across. That being said, I doubt that is really how you are supposed to play with it. The convex bridge does tend to cave in under his weight, although it pops right back out again when he gets off. We only let him walk on the lid when it is flat on the ground. He has recently started pushing his dump-truck toys across the bridge as well, so we're hoping his desire to run across the lid will lessen with time. You can also hook the lid onto the side of the castle, allowing toy trucks to roll up the bridge and then fall down into the sandbox -- but we don't dare do this with my son yet, because we know he would want to walk up the bridge.
I don't know why Little Tikes only made two of the turrets into seats. The two that are not seats actually make nice cup (or pail) holders, with their raised edges to help keep the drink from toppling into the sand. My little guy doesn't really pay much attention to which are seats and which aren't -- he sits on whichever one is closest, whether it is comfortable or not.
Quickie Summary:
Pros:
+) Lid to keep out rain and creepy-crawlies
+) Very cute castle design
+) Drawbridge and moat on the lid provides opportunities for imaginative play
+) 2 seats built-in
+) Holds 200-250 pounds of sand
Cons:
-) Why didn't they make seats out of all 4 turrets?
-) Why blue? I've never seen a blue castle before
Final Thoughts:
I really couldn't be more thrilled with this sandbox. I've always loved castles, and what better place to build sand castles than in a castle-shaped sandbox? But my likes aside, the best thing about this sandbox is the fact that my son really, really loves it!
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 49.99
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Epinions.com ID:
mizgnomer
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Location: Tennessee
Reviews written: 306
Trusted by: 202 members
About Me:
Don't meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you're crunchy and taste good with ketchup
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