ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
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I'm not sure this is exactly what you are thinking of, but there are many
museums that have a 'dinosaur bone digging site.'  The focus isn't
open-ended sand play, but that often ends up being what the younger kids do.
The Pasadena Kidspace Museum and the Discovery Science Center in Santa Ana
CA both have combination water and sand play spaces.  The Santa Ana one is a
system of sluices with sand, and the Pasadena one demonstrates erosion.  

One of the sand-play sites that I like the most, though, is at the
Huntington Gardens in San Marino, CA.  They have a sand chime set up.  It's
a small structure with concrete pillars about 3 feet high.  The pillars are
set very close together, and a series of metal tubes (like the ones in metal
wind chimes) are suspended between them.  There are sand and small pebbles
all around it, and kids dribble the pebbles through the top of the opening
between the pillars.  The sand and small pebbles bounce off the metal tubes
to make musical sounds.  There's a picture of it on their webpage
(http://www.huntington.org/Information/ChildrensGarden.htm) The caption says
"pebble chime"

Suzanne Mallery
Assistant Professor
Psychology
La Sierra University

-----Original Message-----
From: Informal Science Education Network
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Jonah Cohen
Sent: Thursday, March 09, 2006 10:37 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Sand Play Areas

ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related
institutions.
****************************************************************************
*

I've been doing some looking into water play areas, and in a presentation at
last year's ACM conference, came across this tidbit from the San Jose
Children's Discovery Museum (home of a slammin' water play area - I am WAY
too amused that they have a component named "the ball-cano"):

 

"Water Play is one of the most open-ended and appropriate play [types] for
children (along with clay and sand play)"

 

I've seen many water play areas, and I've seen many individual exhibit
components that use sand... but I don't recall ever seeing a "sand play"
area comparable to a water play one. Anyone know of any?

 

Jonah Cohen

Outreach & Public Programs Manager

Science Center of Connecticut

 

"Fire up the klezmer music and prepare to become a man, you're in for a
truth-mitzvah!"

        -Stephen Colbert

 


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