As the children were interested in burying the markers in the snow last week, Celine wondered what the children would do with items hidden in sand. She set up two buckets with items buried under the sand. Leona came over and immediately felt the sand with her pointer finger. She moved the sand around and found a bowl of chili. Leona put it back into the sand and began covering it again.
Later, Leona picked out two cups from the buckets, each with a little sand in the bottom. She began transferring the sand from one cup to the other. Micah joined in by putting his whole hand into the sand. He continued to move the sand around until he uncovered a carrot and a star. He then used a spoon to move the sand.
Eva reached in and picked up the bowl of chili. She then picked up a cup and moved it through the sand. Isaiah noticed the carrot on top of the sand, which sparked his exploration. He dug into the sand and found a cup, repeatedly pulling it out and putting it back in to cover and uncover it. As he continued to move the sand around, he uncovered a toy piece of cheese. Isaiah then began picking up handfuls of sand and watching it fall back into the bucket.
Melody held up a cup with holes, and Eva, Leona, and Micah watched as the sand fell through them. Micah and Eva reached out to feel the sand on their hands. When Bennett woke up from his nap, he joined the activity and immediately began feeling the sand. He uncovered a boat and continued filling it with sand.
To extend this activity, we could fill buckets with water for a fill-and-dump experience.
