A sand table is a sandbox on legs. Sand tables have become a ubiquitous feature in elementary school classrooms, but there is much more teachers can do with sand tables than let students push sand around. Changing filler material and organizing instructional activities turns a sand table from entertainment to a valuable educational tool.
Filler Materials
Sand tables generally come filled with an initial supply of clean, playground-grade sand. But that doesn't mean they have to stay that way. Remove the sand, and fill the table with gravel, popcorn, packing peanuts or dried beans on subsequent days so that children can experience different weights, textures and properties. Substitute sticky substances for the dry materials to expand the range of tactile experience: oobleck, soft mud, shaving cream or snow.
Construction
Fill the sand table with fine silt dampened with water to build sandcastles. Accompany the sand castle exercise with informational pictures on different castle styles for inspiration. Give the kids their own cups of water so they can mix thin mud for dripping tree forms. Challenge older children to go beyond castles and sculpt towns, dragons or whatever strikes their fancy. Use plastic utensils for carving details in the finished construction.
Erosion Demonstrations
Turn a sand table into a stream table by placing blocks under to legs to elevate one end, and placing a bucket under the other end to catch draining water. Fasten a hose or length of tubing to a classroom faucet or slowly pour water from a bucket at the elevated end of the table. Watch as the stream cuts its way through the sand, carving away at outer curve edges and making depositions on inner edges. Older children can experiment with the effect of miniature bridges, culverts and diversion ditches to set the stage for understanding the impacts of natural disasters such as floods and storms, as well as the engineering challenges and environmental impacts of bridge and highway construction.
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