Kids sculpt summer fun on Siesta

Sarasota County Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources campers had a busy day on June 22. They were joined by a turtle, starfish and even Pikachu — well, in a way. 

After a week of preparation, participants in the county's sand sculpting camp got to put their sand skills to the test creating sculptures of their choosing. Inspired by printed photos of their own hand-drawn pictures, campers went to work sculpting on Friday morning, the last day of the camp. 

Animals were among the most popular choices followed closely by the traditional sand castle. 

"When they started on Monday they couldn't do anything," camp teacher Bill Knight said. "Now look what they're doing." 

Knight, along with camp counselor Susan Moriarty, kept a careful eye on the sand sculpting proteges as they packed, scraped and sculpted their sand creations. But the pair weren't worried about the campers progress. 

"Of course if they mess it up they can just take it down and start again," Moriarty said.