Using wet sand in an interactive sandbox allows for diversifying lessons widening the teacher’s opportunities while solving educational, developmental, and remedial tasks.
By simply adding water, you get an additional wide range of functions for an interactive sandbox. Thanks to it, an interactive development environment created around iSandBOX becomes more variable.
Additional possibilities wet sand gives:
- It becomes possible to create objects which are not available in sandbox modes. For instance, you can study volumetric geometric shapes or form sand balls. Such activities are an excellent alternative to sculpting.
- Due to moisture, sand grains adhesion increases, allowing for building castles’ steep walls, deep ditches, and perfect continents’ outlines. Thus, you have more opportunities to model a landscape for projects and presentations.
- You can shape more complex detailed objects while modeling large items. Use your fingers or additional tools to create shapes as you do while making sculptures. Or include molds in a game.
- Wet sand is heavier, but it holds its form better because of high grains adhesion. While working with wet sand, the strain on muscles does not increase. However, the strain is distributed differently than in tasks with dry sand.
- It requires more focus and attention to smooth the surface or to make correct contours. Thereby, children’s determination, patience, and diligence are fostered.
Task examples in iSandBOX with wet sand:
1. The sandbox game “Serpentine road racing”
(aimed at speech, social, communicative, and cognitive development)
The mode (optional):
- Elevation Map
- Artist
Props: Toy cars, artificial plants, stones, etc.
Rules:
Form a multicolored serpentine road. For this purpose, set the desired width of stripes in the settings (on the tablet) – based on the width of the wheels of cars. Then, assign the roles: referee, racers, commentator, and begin the race. Plus, kids can move toy cars according to the different tasks you make up for them. For example, create a route and let children follow it step by step after solving the riddles you ask.
2. Sand modeling in the sandbox “Sleepy caterpillars”
(aimed at cognitive, artistic, and aesthetic development)
The mode (optional):
- Artist
Props: Colored mosaic, pebbles, and any other pieces of decor.
Rules:
Beforehand, tell children how caterpillars become butterflies. Then, in the sandbox, mold sand balls and put them in the form of caterpillars. Use props you prepared for the game to decorate them. Kids can play with them, for instance, fed them. Next, it is time for children to fantasize. Let them imagine what butterflies their caterpillars are going to turn into. As a result, kids form butterflies with their hands using additional tools if they wish.
3. Sand modeling in the sandbox “Birthday cake”
(aimed at speech, social, communicative, artistic, and aesthetic development)
The mode:
- Artist (or any other by choice)
Props: Colored mosaic, sand molds, flameless candles, and any other pieces of decor.
Rules:
To start, choose a character (any toy) for whom you will prepare birthday congratulations and bake a cake. Beforehand, ask children to bring their favorite sand molds from home. Then, begin to form a pretty big cake. The appearance of the cake depends on kids’ possibilities: it can be round, square, multitiered, etc. Decorate the “baked” cake using sand molds and props.
4. Sand modeling in the sandbox “Funny train”
(aimed at cognitive, artistic, aesthetic, and speech development)
The mode:
- Artist (or any other by choice)
Props: Themed figures (for example, figures of animals)
Rules:
Shape a train in the sandbox. To do it, you can use molds, sand shovels, or any other tools that allow you to form even train wagons. Then, let kids seat passengers or place goods. Read a rhyme with a riddle to children. Let this rhyme be about transport, character, or load.
A rhyme (example):
The funny transport came to us,
And what is it? It’s not a bus!
See, who sits there in a wagon
– It’s a fire-breathing … (dragon!)
5. A drawing game “Sand writing”
(aimed at cognitive, artistic, and aesthetic development)
The mode:
- Shapes and Colors
Props: you can use sticks.
Rules:
At first, use a tablet to select a play scene with desired geometric figures. Smooth the sand surface. Together with kids, outline the contours of figures with fingers or sticks. Alternatively, you can outline figures with props, for example, pieces of colorful mosaic. Have a competition “Whose outlines are the smoothest?”
Use these games to make your lessons with iSandBOX even more interesting and effective!
