An Unusual Recipe

This blog post is being written by guest blogger, Janet W. Bartlett, elementary teacher for thirty years.

As a retired teacher, I have accumulated lots of recipes for homemade Play Doh, papier mache, glue, paint, etc. They are all good, tried and true, but this recipe is a little different. It is in fact, the best recipe I have ever tried and I have used it for years. It is not too complex but it will reward you and your child with hours of creative fun, exploration, learning, soothing, concentration, and imagination.

For many years, I had a sand table in my primary classroom. Don't stop reading! Over the years, I was surprised many times by the change in students when they had their turn at the sand table. The most amazing was the soothing effect it had on those with learning and behavior difficulties. It was a priceless tool. It can be so for you.

Having such a sand table does require some structure, but structure is a good thing. You will need to set some rules for sand play such as no throwing or dumping out of the box, the sand needs to be manipulated deliberately and carefully to avoid a mess. If the rules are "forgotten", then the sand table is off limits for a time. Accidents will happen but stick to your rules.

You will need sand, of course, lots of spoons, tin cups, different size plastic containers, an old strainer (Kids LOVE to pour sand through a strainer!), old pie tins, and at least one funnel. It's also fun to make "combs" by sawing teeth into some thin wood. These make interesting rakes for making patterns in the sand.

There are several ways to get a sand table. You could get lucky and find one at Sam's Club as I did for my house. Or a container like a horse trough set up on a bench would work also. Or you can make your own as I did for my classroom. All you need is an old table. Cut some 1 x 6 boards to make the sides of your "box" and secure them to the table top with L brackets and screws. Line the box with plastic such as Visqueen from Home Depot or with a plastic tablecloth. Drape it up and over the sides. To hold it in place, nail some strips of thin wood like screen molding through the plastic and into the top edges of the box. Trim off the excess plastic and put in the sand. Half full is plenty. A bag of play sand from the big box store should do it.

There are lots of sand boxes out there. But a sand table is a different thing. It is much more comfortable for your child. It gives the child a sense of control and a feeling that they are "working". It is much neater and meets the needs of children who do not like to get dirty. A screen porch would be a great place for this if there is no cat access. It could be indoors but you need a good vacuum cleaner.

Now let's get to the real reasons for having a sand table aside from fun. Eye-hand coordination; kinesthetic reinforcement, especially for a child with disabilities; handwriting practice; especially good for children whose strongest mode of learning is tactile. And lastly, it is soothing, amazingly so for the stressed-out, acting-out kid who is hyperactive and has difficulty focusing. Pouring from one container to another, measuring, sifting, drawing, and just running hands through this material are all learning activities. You will be amazed at how long your child will remain engaged with the sand table. For additional fun, dampen the sand. This is great for making "mud" pies and cakes for pretend tea time. The possibilities are endless.

For anyone with a child, I believe there are two essential playthings. One is sand; the other is blocks. But that's another blog post.