how do you stop your sandpit turning into a miserable soggy mess?

[Cappuccino]

we have a shell type sandpit and it is yukky

even with the lid on and several bricks it is still ewww water gets in it oh and cats

we are trying to make the bottom yard area of our garden nicer for kids to play in and I have seen this it is on sale oooo-eeerr

but it doesn't even pretend to have a lid

there must be a trick that I do not know about

we have an old plastic tablecloth over ours which we put back after every use - has worked so far (only had it a few months but there has been a lot of rain so it has been tested to the max).

I have a thick tarp and a load of bricks, (dh made the kids a brick sandpit with no lid!!) I fit the tarp on and weigh down with bricks. That's the only trick I have, although my da said (about 6 yrs ago) that he would make me a wooden lid, we are still waiting for it.

I put an old plastic table cloth in the bottom of ours first, then put the and in. When its open I push the excess table cloth under the sides and when its shut, I pull it back over the sand then put the lid on. Bricks on top too, to stop the cats and foxes from getting in.

I put an old plastic table cloth in the bottom of ours first, then put the and in. When its open I push the excess table cloth under the sides and when its shut, I pull it back over the sand then put the lid on. Bricks on top too, to stop the cats and foxes from getting in.

Such a good idea, I had to tell you twice!

what is the point of that canopy thing thought Capp? It's not big enough to shade it/keep it dry unless sun/rain are directly overhead.

Otherwise the boat concept looks fun

You pick it up, you check over both shoulders that the children are not looking and you leg it to the dump as swiftly as possible.

Horrible disease infested things.

Needless to say my vile SIL bought it for DS without consulatation with us. [grr]

oh bree they love it so

their little faces

I don't know what else to put in a concrete yard

there is a lawn but the yard is outside the kitchen window so they can play in it while I cook

I want them to want to play in it

My DD loves her sandpit, has been out there every day over the summer.

Why are they disease ridden? Surely if you shower/wash hands after playing they are fine, no worse than a beach surely?

I dont get the disease ridden thing either Unless you leave it open and cats go in it then I can't see the problem. Kids need a bit of muck...

We've been lucky with ours, we have a car shaped one with a lid and apart from a couple of leaves nothing gets in it. Sand was so dry from last summer we had to wet it a little to make sandcastles.

Mine is a disease ridden pit. it's 1.5metres long and 1.4 metre swide, so quite big, and sunken into the patio. It has no drainage, as it used to be a pond, apart from the little hole we managed to gouge in the bottom, so it's always getting filled up with rain and run-off from the patio. We haven't found anything yet which keeps the cats and foxes out, so often it's just a sandy cat poo soup
I've given up on it for this summer, and next spring I'll replace the sand and try again to make a decent lid.