Sand Land



Materials

Each set up for 4-5 students to share, has:

1 sand-land pan with sand mix in it

1-quart plastic (drip) container drill a 1/8" hole at the center of bottom (so that it can slowly release/drip water.)

1-quart plastic (drip) container with a 3/16"-hole drip (optional)

1 pitcher

1 one-gallon (milk) bottle filled with water

1 one to five-gallon bucket as a catch basin

1-paint scraper to pack sand

1-12 inch ruler as a drip container support

1-2 blocks of wood for height (1-2 inches high)

Duct tape or masking tape to secure the ruler

Food coloring

Eyedropper

Toothpicks

Sandbox pans:
Good plastic pans (18" x 15" x 4" deep), called "Tray Toes" are available from NASCO Scientific (Tel: 800-558-9595) for about $6.00 (item # in NASCO catalog: #WO5175M). Also a large kitty litter pan or cement-mixing pan will do. Drill a 3/8" drainage hole into the edge of a plastic pan between the bottom and the back wall.

Sand mix:
Use a mix of 16 parts "Play Sand" to 1 part diatomaceous earth The mix could be used indefinitely if food coloring is not introduced. The reason for using the diatomaceous earth was to observe some soil erosion at the downstream side of the sandbox. Play sand alone works fine without the diatomaceous earth. Play sand is a generic name for multi-uses and, typically screened to consist of three different particle sizes, for sandboxes and the like. It is available from most hardware stores for about $5.00 for a 50-pound bag. Diatomaceous earth is available at most swimming pool supply stores. It is used in pool filters because of its fineness. Ten pounds cost about $5.00.

Chris Tammearu

Setup

  • Setting the systems up properly before the class begins is the key to a successful project.
  • Add water to the sand mix until the mix can stand at a near vertical slope (don't add too much water, it may help to use a spray).
  • Spread the moist mix to cover 2/3 of the pan to a thickness of 1-1.5 inch to simulate a "top soil".
  • Tape the ruler at a distance of about 2" from the uphill rim of the pan.
  • Balance the drip container on the pan's rim and the ruler and mark the position of the container bottom on the ruler.
  • Set pan at an angle using the blocks to simulate a slope condition.

    The sandbox was adapted from the "Stream Tables" Landform Module developed at the Lawrence Hall of Science, University of California, Berkeley, CA.

Preparation

Students work in-groups of 4 to 5 students.
Each group gets one sandbox.
One activity card for each student.
  click to enlarge