Aqua Sand Mermaid Island

My niece wanted this for christmas and we were the only ones who were able to find it. She was so excited and we won Christmas haha. She was very happy with this product

Is it wrong to tell a 5 year old there is no Santa just to get out of buying this "toy?" I didn't go that far, but I did think it based on the reviews here. This is the only toy she kept telling Santa she wanted. So, I had to buy it. I bought this, the Polar one and three of the 2 color sand packs. All totaled about $35 (the grouping fell another $8 the week before Christmas) The mermaid tank is a joke, but I knew that going in. So "Santa" also purchased a 1.5 gallon fish tank/bowl at Walmart for $3.98. The little mermaid arch wouldn't stand upright in the water, so we kept that out. One reviewer said to play on a cookie sheet lined with paper towels, very good idea. Another good idea is to buy a tea leaf strainer/infuser to scoop out the sand because it would take forever to use the little scoop that comes with it. My daughter loved playing with this, she would give it 5 stars. She just loved squirting the sand into the water. She didn't/couldn't build the arches they show in their B.S. commercials. As fast as I could refill a sand bottle she would empty it back into the tank. She didn't care that the colors mixed together to make a purplish colored sand. Sand did spill on the table, not a whole bunch, but even a little bit of sand on your table/floor would freak most people out. Walking on a sandy beach feels great, walking on a tablespoon full spilled on your hardwood floor in bare feet sucks! I made a bigger mess than my daughter trying to use their little scoop and funnel to put sand back in the bottles. She got about an hours playtime out of it before we got frustrated with the mess or better yet, the anxiety over the possibility of a mess. This is a toy that REQUIRES constant adult supervision. You can't just let a 5 year old run wild with this or you will have a sandy mess all over the place. So if you have some patience, don't mind cleaning up some spilled sand, and have the time to actually play with your child, then this isn't that bad of a toy.

My daughter (age 9) loves this set! She's pulled it out to play with weekly for the past month or so since we've had it! So glad this didn't become a 1-time-use toy!

We read all the reviews and decided to give it a try anyway. I remember playing with this same thing, but back then it was called SQand. I remember it being a blast (although messy). We decided to order 2 sets, one for our two daughters and the other for our two sons. Their ages are 12,10,8 and 6. This toy did not disappoint. They have been in the kitchen playing for over 30 minutes. Some reviewers said they couldn't build and/or sculpt - my 6 year old has made several towers (sometimes they do fall over) and my 12 year old made a tower that reached to the top of the water. It is a messy toy - be prepared to have a sandy mess to clean up. I think this Mermaid set is a much better option than the Polar Playground because this set is clear acrylic and can be seen through easily.

Waste of 25 dollars. My 7 year old Played with 1 day only. Not fun and very messy. My daughter begged for it for Christmas. We finally threw it away today after she left it outside since then (since you are brave if you have it inside!) and water dried out.

Birthday gift

My ten year old, asked for this toy for Christmas... she was really excited , used the first bottle of sand, and then reused them ,and then.........just got tired of the small spoon to dry sand and put back in the bottle... It is a bit messy if sand is spilled... It is fun , and colorful and kind of magical the way the sand comes out really dry from water.

My friends and I used this sand for a science project to show younger children what hydrophobia does. It worked very well. The only problems I saw were that it is hard to put the sand back in the bottle and that the other people in my group saw that the bottles were shaped phalicly. Other than that, a great product!