Make a walkway

What can we use instead of hard-to-find materials like flat stones, a tape measure, or acrylic paints?

If flat stones are hard to find use pavers, large flat bricks, or thick wooden discs on the 1-inch sand pads (step 6), replace the tape measure with a yardstick or a length of string for marking in step 3, swap chalk for flour or masking tape for marks in step 3, and use outdoor craft paint or permanent markers in step 10 with a waterproof varnish or marine sealant in step 11.

My stones keep tilting or wobbling—what should I try to fix them?

If a stone is tilted in step 7, lift it, add or remove a little sand on the flattened 1-inch pad (steps 4–5), tamp it down with your hand or small board and check from different angles until it sits level and stable as described in step 7.

How can I adapt this walkway activity for different age groups?

For toddlers have an adult do the measuring and heavy lifting in steps 3 and 6 while the child helps sweep sand and paint in steps 8 and 10, and for older kids let them measure spacing, flatten sand pads, set stones, decorate, and apply sealant with supervision across steps 3–11.

How can we personalize or extend the stepping stone walkway beyond just painting?

Create mosaics by pressing glass beads or tiles into the sand before setting each stone in step 6, use glow-in-the-dark or textured paint in step 10, plant edging alongside the path after step 9, and share the finished photo and story on DIY.org as suggested in the final step.