There’s something irresistible about playing in sand – just try it and see. It quickly coaxes the shoes off our feet and brings imaginations to life! Our cooperative recently enjoyed a beautiful day in the sun at the Sand Dunes just an hour drive from home. There was plenty of jumping, digging, sledding and sunbathing.
Did you know that with a simple magnet and a hill of sand you can keep a child busy long enough to get a good start on that book you’ve been wanting to read. (Be warned, however, that you will likely set your book aside to join in the fun.) As soon as they realize that buried in each handful of sand are dark slivers of magnetite, they will enthusiastically set about gathering a baggie full, for further investigation. It just feels like magic to watch the magnet come out of the sand coated with all that stuff!
There’s a wonderful book titled, A Grain of Sand: Natures Secret Wonder, that will fascinate child and parent alike. It shows us astounding photos of sand as seen under a microscope and opens up a whole new world for our consideration. Who knew that when we are walking on the beach or climbing the dunes, there is such beauty right under our feet? Check out this YouTube link to see what you’re missing.
A tradition that we have each year is to have a sand sculpting competition. We’ve seen some pretty amazing projects over the years and I do not doubt that some day we will find that one of our students has risen to heights such as are sculpted at this crazy museum of sand!
In case you don’t have dunes close to home, swing by the beach, the lake, or just grab a bag of sand at the local hardware store and jump into a day of discovery!