Frequently Asked Questions:
- How much does it cost?
- Are you available on ______ date?
- Where is it?
- What if it might rain? What's your cancellation policy?
- My kid is X years old. Will he or she like this?
- My kid is X years old with a short attention span. What should I expect?
- I have friends and family that want to come but aren't going to participate. Can they come too?
- I just had surgery/My great grandmother is coming. What kind of physical exertion is necessary?
- I totally want to do this but my boyfriend/husband/teenager has doubts. How can I convince him to go with me?
- I'd like to book! Do you require a deposit?
- Will I be expected to tip my instructor?
- We have a picture or a design of our own we'd like to try. Can we do that?
- Is it all really just sand? Do you use any glue, supports, or structures?
- Which is better for me - a Roth or a regular 401(k)?
- Do you guys ever do competitions?
- How do I book a reservation?
- You're sold out on the days I'm there. Do you keep a wait list?
- We don't have a reservation, but can we just come watch?
- Will you answer my other questions?
* How much does it cost?
-The cost for a full lesson is $160 for the first 2 participants and $20 for each additional up to 5 more. For groups of 8 or more we just switch to a flat fee of $35 per person and we ask that you please contact us first before you book with over 16 participants so we can make sure we have the right amount of instructors and equipment. All lessons are private with your instructor working only with you and the members of your party. Here's a handy little chart:
1 or 2 participants: $160
3 participants: $180
4 participants: $200
5 participants: $220
6 participants: $240
7 participants: $260
-The cost for a full lesson is $160 for the first 2 participants and $20 for each additional up to 5 more. For groups of 8 or more we just switch to a flat fee of $35 per person and we ask that you please contact us first before you book with over 16 participants so we can make sure we have the right amount of instructors and equipment. All lessons are private with your instructor working only with you and the members of your party. Here's a handy little chart:
1 or 2 participants: $160
3 participants: $180
4 participants: $200
5 participants: $220
6 participants: $240
7 participants: $260
* Are you available on _____ date?
To check availability for sand castle lessons and to make a reservation please go to our online booking calendar. Please contact us for availability regarding any other type of event.
To check availability for sand castle lessons and to make a reservation please go to our online booking calendar. Please contact us for availability regarding any other type of event.
* Where is it?
All lessons are currently being held in the greater San Diego area. Your instructor will contact you about the location. The vast majority of the time we'll choose a suitable location that is as convenient to you as possible, but please note your appointment may occasionally require some flexibility. We appreciate that. It almost always works out great for everyone!
All lessons are currently being held in the greater San Diego area. Your instructor will contact you about the location. The vast majority of the time we'll choose a suitable location that is as convenient to you as possible, but please note your appointment may occasionally require some flexibility. We appreciate that. It almost always works out great for everyone!
* What if it might rain? What's your cancellation policy?
Rain is fairly rare in San Diego! When there is rain it's usually a harmless sprinkle that doesn't really bother anything and we have had some awesome lessons which included a little spritzing, and in our experience inclement weather reports are notoriously overblown. But if it looks like it won't be fun at all then we will definitely reschedule, and if thunder is heard we must leave the beach immediately.
We don't take deposits and you don't pay ahead of time! We do ask that you be considerate of our instructors and let us know if you need to cancel as far ahead as possible. Late cancellations leave our instructors with unfilled slots, and it's an even bigger bummer to take time and resources to drive to the beach without anyone to teach castles to.
If we needed to take deposits (which we don't) and needed to define it explicitly a reschedule is totally understandable when requested by either party if the forecast 24 to 36 hours before the appointment on Accuweather.com is either a high temperature under 60 degrees or a 40% or more chance of precipitation.
Keep an eye out for a weather watch text or email from your instructor who will communicate with you about any possible impact and will discuss what we have available for rescheduling if necessary.
Rain is fairly rare in San Diego! When there is rain it's usually a harmless sprinkle that doesn't really bother anything and we have had some awesome lessons which included a little spritzing, and in our experience inclement weather reports are notoriously overblown. But if it looks like it won't be fun at all then we will definitely reschedule, and if thunder is heard we must leave the beach immediately.
We don't take deposits and you don't pay ahead of time! We do ask that you be considerate of our instructors and let us know if you need to cancel as far ahead as possible. Late cancellations leave our instructors with unfilled slots, and it's an even bigger bummer to take time and resources to drive to the beach without anyone to teach castles to.
If we needed to take deposits (which we don't) and needed to define it explicitly a reschedule is totally understandable when requested by either party if the forecast 24 to 36 hours before the appointment on Accuweather.com is either a high temperature under 60 degrees or a 40% or more chance of precipitation.
Keep an eye out for a weather watch text or email from your instructor who will communicate with you about any possible impact and will discuss what we have available for rescheduling if necessary.
* My kid is X years old, will he/she like this?
We totally recommend this activity for almost all kids ages 9 and above.
We recommend parental discretion and realistic expectations for kids ages 5-8.
We don't recommend this for ages 4 and below.
The answer though, is most likely yes! With younger kids the format is switched to teach the building more to the parents, and leave the cutting and decorating to the kids. Some kids finish quickly and are easily distracted by all there is to do at the beach, and other kids are completely captivated and focused by the sand. Most kids fall somewhere between.
You as a parent know best what sort of things your kid might like. If she loves working with her hands or with tools, then she'll like pounding up and cutting down sand. If your boy had fun making that last gingerbread house then he'll love decorating a castle. (And if yours was the kid that just ate all the gumdrops then zoomed off on a sugar rush then maybe they might find the beach too distracting for this.) If your kid is into drawing, painting, coloring, playing with clay, tools, or puzzles then they'll probably be interested in making some real sand castles. Kids fall across a spectrum of development so we leave it up to the parents who know best if their child is ready to listen and follow instructions.
In all cases, we here at San Diego Sand Castles believe in a Montessori approach to sand castles. Let the kids' interests lead the way! Always work with the kids, never against them! Your lesson will be conducted in an unforced and unrestricted manner where kids are allowed to play and learn however much they are ready for, and we let them interact and discover the sand in their very own style, and we honor whatever that might be. At the very least, we will teach the parents a lot of tricks and tips they can use to keep reteaching the kids on every beach trip. A lot of the times the lessons are secretly for the parents with the kids as an excuse. Shhh.. We won't tell!
We totally recommend this activity for almost all kids ages 9 and above.
We recommend parental discretion and realistic expectations for kids ages 5-8.
We don't recommend this for ages 4 and below.
The answer though, is most likely yes! With younger kids the format is switched to teach the building more to the parents, and leave the cutting and decorating to the kids. Some kids finish quickly and are easily distracted by all there is to do at the beach, and other kids are completely captivated and focused by the sand. Most kids fall somewhere between.
You as a parent know best what sort of things your kid might like. If she loves working with her hands or with tools, then she'll like pounding up and cutting down sand. If your boy had fun making that last gingerbread house then he'll love decorating a castle. (And if yours was the kid that just ate all the gumdrops then zoomed off on a sugar rush then maybe they might find the beach too distracting for this.) If your kid is into drawing, painting, coloring, playing with clay, tools, or puzzles then they'll probably be interested in making some real sand castles. Kids fall across a spectrum of development so we leave it up to the parents who know best if their child is ready to listen and follow instructions.
In all cases, we here at San Diego Sand Castles believe in a Montessori approach to sand castles. Let the kids' interests lead the way! Always work with the kids, never against them! Your lesson will be conducted in an unforced and unrestricted manner where kids are allowed to play and learn however much they are ready for, and we let them interact and discover the sand in their very own style, and we honor whatever that might be. At the very least, we will teach the parents a lot of tricks and tips they can use to keep reteaching the kids on every beach trip. A lot of the times the lessons are secretly for the parents with the kids as an excuse. Shhh.. We won't tell!
*My kid is X years old with a short attention span. What should I expect?
Often times very young kids will work diligently, stop to chase birds, come back and carve, run and collect shells to add, come back and carve, drag seaweed around, come back and carve and well, that's just how they are (and we love'em for it!). We believe that the beach and sand castles should be a fun and totally permissive endeavor. Nothing should be forced and every man, woman, and child gets to choose their own approach to sand! But everyone will still be learning, get exposed to a fun and unique art, and we'll make sure the parents have a lot of good sand techniques under their belt to keep reteaching. The point of the lesson should always be to have fun while learning something new and to just have a good old time hanging out on the beach as family or friends. If you're looking to end up with a professional looking castle then you might be approaching it from the wrong perspective. The spirit of sand castles is about the process, not the result and it is always just for FUN! If you end up with photo-worthy castles, great! If not, who cares?! You sure did have a great time, right!
With older kids or multiple younger kids two to three hours is a pretty good guideline with younger kids closer to two than three. Usually in a group with multiple kids, if the youngest ones finish before everyone else they almost always find a way to keep themselves busy while the others keep working; the beach is a great place for that. We can also bring a bag of sand toys for the younger ones if you let us know ahead of time, and you pretty much can't go wrong with just handing a kid a shovel and turning'em loose. Most everybody can finish their castle within three hours so that's how long we schedule ourselves for. For most people the time goes by really fast and before you know it it's picture time! But if it seems like it's time to wrap up earlier we'll show you the techniques we use to make a castle look finished fast; the same techniques we use in timed competitions.
Often times very young kids will work diligently, stop to chase birds, come back and carve, run and collect shells to add, come back and carve, drag seaweed around, come back and carve and well, that's just how they are (and we love'em for it!). We believe that the beach and sand castles should be a fun and totally permissive endeavor. Nothing should be forced and every man, woman, and child gets to choose their own approach to sand! But everyone will still be learning, get exposed to a fun and unique art, and we'll make sure the parents have a lot of good sand techniques under their belt to keep reteaching. The point of the lesson should always be to have fun while learning something new and to just have a good old time hanging out on the beach as family or friends. If you're looking to end up with a professional looking castle then you might be approaching it from the wrong perspective. The spirit of sand castles is about the process, not the result and it is always just for FUN! If you end up with photo-worthy castles, great! If not, who cares?! You sure did have a great time, right!
With older kids or multiple younger kids two to three hours is a pretty good guideline with younger kids closer to two than three. Usually in a group with multiple kids, if the youngest ones finish before everyone else they almost always find a way to keep themselves busy while the others keep working; the beach is a great place for that. We can also bring a bag of sand toys for the younger ones if you let us know ahead of time, and you pretty much can't go wrong with just handing a kid a shovel and turning'em loose. Most everybody can finish their castle within three hours so that's how long we schedule ourselves for. For most people the time goes by really fast and before you know it it's picture time! But if it seems like it's time to wrap up earlier we'll show you the techniques we use to make a castle look finished fast; the same techniques we use in timed competitions.
* I have friends and family that want to come but they aren't going to participate. Can they come too?
Of course, your friends and family can definitely come along! It's always nice to have someone taking pictures, helping with the kids, or just keeping good company. Your fee is based only on the number of people in the sand participating with the castles.
Of course, your friends and family can definitely come along! It's always nice to have someone taking pictures, helping with the kids, or just keeping good company. Your fee is based only on the number of people in the sand participating with the castles.
* I : just had surgery / got a trick knee / wanna bring my great-great grandmother. What kind of physical exertion is necessary?
Building a great sand castle actually requires a pretty fair amount of fitness. There is a lot of carrying water, pouring buckets, and shoveling sand. However, if that's not something you can or want to do our instructors are happy to be your sand Sherpa! It may take a little extra time but we can get that stack ready for you to carve! Carving the sand does require a lot of bending, sitting, and kneeling in the sand and there aren't too many ways to get around that. We do have an extra camp style beach chair we can bring with prior notice. Your great grandma can always chill whenever she needs a break!
Building a great sand castle actually requires a pretty fair amount of fitness. There is a lot of carrying water, pouring buckets, and shoveling sand. However, if that's not something you can or want to do our instructors are happy to be your sand Sherpa! It may take a little extra time but we can get that stack ready for you to carve! Carving the sand does require a lot of bending, sitting, and kneeling in the sand and there aren't too many ways to get around that. We do have an extra camp style beach chair we can bring with prior notice. Your great grandma can always chill whenever she needs a break!
* I totally want to do this but my boyfriend/husband/teenager has doubts. How can I convince him to go with me?
I couldn't tell you how many men have rolled their eyes when they heard their girl say "sand castles", but typically by the end of the session you can't get them to put the tool down! It's fun. Really fun. Many dubious husbands have converted once they started cutting sand. I would suggest pointing him towards the reviews on TripAdvisor so he can read about others' experiences, including the previously skeptical. Here's a page with the most relevant reviews that address this. Making sand castles always exceeds eye roll expectations. If that doesn't work, you can throw your comforter in the ocean, so then you'll have two wet blankets.
I couldn't tell you how many men have rolled their eyes when they heard their girl say "sand castles", but typically by the end of the session you can't get them to put the tool down! It's fun. Really fun. Many dubious husbands have converted once they started cutting sand. I would suggest pointing him towards the reviews on TripAdvisor so he can read about others' experiences, including the previously skeptical. Here's a page with the most relevant reviews that address this. Making sand castles always exceeds eye roll expectations. If that doesn't work, you can throw your comforter in the ocean, so then you'll have two wet blankets.
*I'd like to book. Do you require a deposit?
For regular family lessons, as long as everyone keeps showing up no deposit is required. And so far, everybody has been showing up and cancellations have been extremely rare! Of course, it's good for your karma to be considerate and honor your commitment or cancel as far in advance as you can to give others a shot at the spot and to help us remain sustainable. Deposits are only required for event sculpture or multiple instructors; contact us and we can discuss that before booking.
For regular family lessons, as long as everyone keeps showing up no deposit is required. And so far, everybody has been showing up and cancellations have been extremely rare! Of course, it's good for your karma to be considerate and honor your commitment or cancel as far in advance as you can to give others a shot at the spot and to help us remain sustainable. Deposits are only required for event sculpture or multiple instructors; contact us and we can discuss that before booking.
*Will I be expected to tip my instructor?
Gratuities are never expected, but are always appreciated and can be included on any payment method! If your instructor provided an outstanding level of service that you felt was personal and your experience worthy of it, then by all means do so and 100% of your tip will go to your very grateful instructor. But know that there is definitely no obligation, expectation or judgement.
Gratuities are never expected, but are always appreciated and can be included on any payment method! If your instructor provided an outstanding level of service that you felt was personal and your experience worthy of it, then by all means do so and 100% of your tip will go to your very grateful instructor. But know that there is definitely no obligation, expectation or judgement.
*We have a picture or a design of our own we'd like to try. Can we do that?
The short answer is YES! Definitely send pictures or designs ahead of time if you can or bring them with you! However, I want to caution about attempting to make specific things with a very first sand castle. We typically teach castles first because we can take a Bob Ross approach; if a happy little accident occurs it's easy to alter the castle to make it look like you meant to. It's like trying to paint a landscape versus painting a portrait. If you goof on the landscape you just change the scene ("let's turn this into a happy little cloud"), but if you goof on the portrait of your mum then now she looks funny! Of course, we love a challenge so bring it on! At the very least we'll use the picture as inspiration and create a sculpture "in the spirit of", and as long as you're okay with your dragon turning out like a melted cat, you've got the right attitude and you'll probably do much better than you think!
The short answer is YES! Definitely send pictures or designs ahead of time if you can or bring them with you! However, I want to caution about attempting to make specific things with a very first sand castle. We typically teach castles first because we can take a Bob Ross approach; if a happy little accident occurs it's easy to alter the castle to make it look like you meant to. It's like trying to paint a landscape versus painting a portrait. If you goof on the landscape you just change the scene ("let's turn this into a happy little cloud"), but if you goof on the portrait of your mum then now she looks funny! Of course, we love a challenge so bring it on! At the very least we'll use the picture as inspiration and create a sculpture "in the spirit of", and as long as you're okay with your dragon turning out like a melted cat, you've got the right attitude and you'll probably do much better than you think!
* Is it all really just sand? Do you use any glue, supports, or structures?
It's all just wet sand. Really! We'll show you how! You won't need any glues, adhesives, special sands, supports, or structures. Sand castles are all natural, environmentally friendly, and lots of fun!
It's all just wet sand. Really! We'll show you how! You won't need any glues, adhesives, special sands, supports, or structures. Sand castles are all natural, environmentally friendly, and lots of fun!
*Which is better for me - a Roth or a traditional 401(k)?
If your firm lets you choose between a traditional 401(k) and a Roth 401(k), try to gauge whether the upfront tax break on the traditional plan is likely to outweigh the back-end benefit of the Roth.
If your firm lets you choose between a traditional 401(k) and a Roth 401(k), try to gauge whether the upfront tax break on the traditional plan is likely to outweigh the back-end benefit of the Roth.
* Do you guys ever do competitions?
Yeah, we're not too bad.
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* How do I book a reservation?
We highly suggest booking well in advance to avoid disappointment. Spaces are limited and they can fill up fast!
Please read our Frequently Asked Questions page before you book, especially if you are booking with children under the age of 8.
CLICK HERE TO ENTER OUR BOOKING SYSTEM.
We highly suggest booking well in advance to avoid disappointment. Spaces are limited and they can fill up fast!
Please read our Frequently Asked Questions page before you book, especially if you are booking with children under the age of 8.
CLICK HERE TO ENTER OUR BOOKING SYSTEM.
* You're sold out on the days I'm there. Do you keep a wait list?
To get on the wait list you must email [email protected] with your name, cell phone number, home state and city, number in your party, gender and ages of kids if any, and the dates you are available. Cancellations are pretty rare but they do occasionally happen.
Also, since we're almost at the end I want to thank you for reading this FAQ. You have no idea how much time it saves us.
To get on the wait list you must email [email protected] with your name, cell phone number, home state and city, number in your party, gender and ages of kids if any, and the dates you are available. Cancellations are pretty rare but they do occasionally happen.
Also, since we're almost at the end I want to thank you for reading this FAQ. You have no idea how much time it saves us.
* We don't have a reservation but can we come watch or just see the castles?
All of our lessons are conducted on public beaches so of course you can come watch! We just respectfully ask that you observe from a considerate distance so that it doesn't get all weird. We also don't really recommend that you come out just to look for castles because castle quality varies depending on group makeup (kids make kid looking castles.... mostly because they're kids), and the castles are left unattended after we finish and are often destroyed shortly after either by the tides or by... you know,... THAT GUY. Please note that we won't respond to requests for info on other people's appointment times and locations. If you happen to be at the beach anyway and you want to try your luck and look for us you'll have to just cruise the beach. We're pretty easy to spot if you walk the water line.
All of our lessons are conducted on public beaches so of course you can come watch! We just respectfully ask that you observe from a considerate distance so that it doesn't get all weird. We also don't really recommend that you come out just to look for castles because castle quality varies depending on group makeup (kids make kid looking castles.... mostly because they're kids), and the castles are left unattended after we finish and are often destroyed shortly after either by the tides or by... you know,... THAT GUY. Please note that we won't respond to requests for info on other people's appointment times and locations. If you happen to be at the beach anyway and you want to try your luck and look for us you'll have to just cruise the beach. We're pretty easy to spot if you walk the water line.
* Will you answer my other questions?
Of course! Please use the CONTACT ME page or initiate a chat with a live person using the chat box in the lower right hand side of the screen.
Of course! Please use the CONTACT ME page or initiate a chat with a live person using the chat box in the lower right hand side of the screen.
San Diego Sand Castles is licensed in San Diego and insured by Liberty Mutual Insurance.