Sand Science

Children to compare the differences between wet and dry sand.

Skill Level: Intermediate Suitable For: 4 - 5 years old Estimated Time: < 15 mins Environment: Outdoors

Materials:

• Water

• Sand buckets

• Spades

• Strainer/sieve

• Sand

Step 1:

Provide children with sand toys to investigate the sand. Encourage them to describe what they are doing and how the sand feels.

Step 2:

Bring a bucket or basin of water to the sand area. Ask the children what they think will happen if they add water to the sand.

Step 3:

Invite the children to pour water into the sand. Ask them these questions: “What happens to the sand? How does the wet sand feel? Does the wet sand look the same as the dry sand?”

Step 4:

Ask the children to pour dry sand into a strainer or sieve. What happens to the sand? Now invite them to pour wet sand into the same object. Observe the differences.