5 fun new beach toys for kids that beat regular shovels and pails

Tis the season for playing in the sand (yay for summer!) so we've rounded up some of the most fun and coolest-looking new beach toys for kids. If you've got a seaside trip planned,we hope these help you amp up the standard buckets and shovels. Because it's good to keep them busy when they aren't dodging waves or asking if they can bury you up to your neck in the sand.   SAND MOLDS FROM EDUCO Why build a regular ol' sand castle when you could create the seaside Taj Mahal or Parthenon? I love Educo's sand molds that come in famous shapes including the Great Wall of China, a Mayan Pyramid, the Colosseum, and even the Sydney Opera House. How neat that kids will learn about some amazing architecture while they are playing in the sand?   THE SCOPPI SHOVEL AND BALLO BUCKET Quut makes colorful plastic sand toys which are cute, but even better, they've been designed in Belgium for heavy-duty play and easy use. I love the Scoppi shovel which will make it easier for kids to make some deep castle moats, and their Ballo bucket (at top) is especially handy for kids who don't want to spill half their pail before they get up the beach. (also available at Creative Kidstuff)     FLOATING SEACOPTER CMP favorite Green Toys has loads of sturdy, colorful vehicles that are just as much fun in the water as out, like their Safe Seas Set. And I love the looks of their new floating Seacopter (shown above) which will be ready to fly to you in August. All of their toys are made from recycled plastic milk jugs, so you can feel good that your kids' sand toys are keeping some surplus plastic from ending up in our landfills or oceans.     COLLAPSEAPAIL Created by smart mom Allison Brush-Stern, CollapseAPail is a silicone sand pail that collapses down to just two-inches tall so it can fit into a beach bag, or even get packed away with the luggage for a trip far away. It's such a smart idea, executed really well with five different colors so each child can have their own pail. Search our archives for "beach toys" for even more summer-fun picks.