Making the most of sand!
All about sand play:
The sand:
Take a break from the classic plastic sand tray, and vary how you present the sand.
Restrict the depth, or change the shape of the actual container.
Here are some ideas for a change of container:
A wooden drawer from an old chest of drawers (splinter check first!)
Muffin trays – floppy silicon or metal
A shallow metal baking tray
Shoe boxes
A deep metal bucket
The toys:
Try placing different sets of toys in net bags to create different sand toy bags that you can rotate
frequently, but also store away easily. Here are some alternatives to the usual buckets, spades,
sieves and moulds:
Cooking utensils
metal pots, pans, spatulas, rolling pins, cupcake cases, spoons, whisk, small
measuring spoons, icing bags.
Natural materials
pine cones, shells, twigs, coconut halves, stones, pebbles, rocks, feathers,
dried flowers, fresh flower petals, seed heads.
Printing
a collection of moulds that will leave a print in damp sand: Lego style bricks
both large and small, sticklebricks, cotton reels, fir cones, cockleshells,
yoghurt pots, plastic letters and numbers. For the best results provide damp
sand in a shallow tray.
Small world
Play people, astronauts, dinosaurs, farm/zoo/woodland animals, diggers,
trucks, vegetation, houses, cars, train set, paper cones to use as tents,
jewellery and pots for treasure chests.
Water outdoors:
Provide buckets of sand and some washing up bowls full of water, plus a scoop or pot for each
bowl. Let the children mix the sand and water in whatever proportions they like.
Use sieves to allow children to experiment with separating the sand and water.
The clean-up:
Involve the children in cleaning up spillages as part of sand play. Provide dust pans and brushes
and have a spilled sand container nearby, and instruct the children to empty the sand that they
sweep up from the floor into this container (and not put it back in the sand tray!).
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Making the most of sand!
How often do you wash your sand?
Dry it out and sieve it at least once a month. This is a lot of fun because it’s almost like a treasure
hunt seeing what’s found its way into the sand pit. The children can do this with some nylon sieves
and a bucket. Once a month it’s also a good idea to mix up some sterilizing solution and rake this
through the sand.
Things to mix into sand:
Food colouring – provide this coloured sand alongside the ordinary sand for comparison and
see how the children play with the two types of sand
Glitter
Hundreds and thousands or silver confectioner’s balls – you will have to throw the sand
away after about a week and do check your settings policy on using food for play
Loose beads
Bury jewellery and pieces of eight then dress up as pirates!
Sand substitutes suggestions:
Pure moss peat – available in garden centres- it is sterile, do not use soil from the garden
Aquarium gravel
Spent tea leaves (dried)
Cut up paper scraps/confetti
Rice, yellow polenta flour, bird seed, porridge oats, pasta
More sandy ideas:
Plaster sculpture; in a shallow tin lid press shapes into damp sand to make a decorated
depression then pour plaster of Paris in and insert a wire (or opened up paper-clip) into the
top which will be the back when finished, to hang up your sculpture.
Make a tropical island. The addition a simple string grid can be used to introduce grid
references as an extra challenge.
Bury treasure and then make maps to mark the spot and have a mini orienteering game with
the Lego people.
Bury real money and let the children find it and add up the value.
Filter sand. Which filters are the best and why? Experiment with how effectively different
materials allow water to pass through them and which prevent sand getting through.
Make a graph to show favourite sand toys.
Make musical instruments by putting various quantities of sand into different containers
(balloons are brilliant! Listen hard because these shakers produce very gentle sounds. Which
shaker makes the loudest or quietest sound? Why?
Use sand for weighing experiments and measuring.
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Making the most of sand!
Use props to tell stories in the sand tray. Once upon a time there was a lonely pirate....
Retell classic stories in the sand tray. Once upon a time there was a girl called Little Red
Riding Hood and she lived near the beach...
Collage – use sand in art to give texture to pictures.
Make triangular numbers by arranging pebbles in the sand like Pythagoras.
Notes for teacher led activities:
Before you begin, make a collection of toys and objects that the children will be able to use with
dry and (later) wet sand.
Provide trays of smooth dry sand.
Now let children sift it through their fingers and rake it smooth.
Let the children choose some toys from the collection.
As they play, draw their attention to how dry sand acts like water.
Next provide some water and dampen the sand.
How does it behave now?
How has it changed?
Do their toys still work well?
Would they rather choose some different toys for wet-sand play?
Use the sheets below to record children’s responses.
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Making the most of sand!
Name(s):.............................................................
Date: ........................................................
Recording/prompt sheet for talking about different qualities of sand
Put a tick or a cross in the boxes below.
I can…
wet sand
dry sand
pour
wash
make patterns
move by blowing
build towers with
dig big holes
play with
bury things in
drive toy cars on
make a pool of water in
make a ball of
use a pastry cutter on
rake
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Making the most of sand!
Word sheet
sieve
build
cold
bury
strain
dig
rake
mould crumble light
pile
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tip
dark
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wet
heavy
sprinkle pour
soak
soft
damp
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Making the most of sand!
Name(s):.............................................................
Date: ........................................................
Sorting sheet to record sand words
Put the words below on the right side, some may go in both.
Words to describe wet sand:
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Words to describe dry sand:
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Making the most of sand!
Name(s):.............................................................
Date: ........................................................
Assessment sheet; properties of wet and dry sand
Sand is good for different activities, decide which you want
Which will you choose when you want to…
wet sand
dry sand
make a sand castle
make the water wheel move fast
play Treasure Island and bury some treasure
for your friends to find
make some pretend pizzas, cakes, and
different food for a game of restaurants
make a mini tropical island with shells,
pebbles, twigs and play people
dig a big hole
make a pattern in the sand
find out which vessel is largest
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