I'm sure some of you have seen this picture of Cakes and cringed (I sure did as she tipped the half of bucket all over the floor). This innocent mess turned out to be a wonderful learning experience that we did several days in a row. As Cakes tipped the sand out she looked at me, smiled and asked "Can I play with this?". Well yes, but it might have been preferable if it was contained in one way or another. Seeing it was all over the floor there was no point in trying to contain it. Was there?
Cakes spread it out (it really didn't spread too far), feeling it in-between her fingers (much more focused then at the beach or in the sand pit) and using it to make marks. She made hand prints, lines, sqiggles, shapes and drawings. She did this for a long time before heading into her room and getting her "cleaning brush". After she had tided it up she requested the bucket remain so she could play again "next day" as she calls tomorrow.
The next time she played with the sand she spread it out and said it was a beach. She invited me to play and showed me the umbrella I could sit under, the buckets I could use and showed me how to dig in the sand. Though still only a thin layer of sand Cakes was imagining an entire beach and items in great detail. She continued this imaginative play for many days until the amount of sand dwindled away and she returned the almost empty bucket to the sand pit.
As messy as this activity is I recommend it and would bring it back into our house if Cakes requested it. I could contain it in a sensory tray, a small pool or on a mat but I don't want to stifle the amazing play she created.
The next time she played with the sand she spread it out and said it was a beach. She invited me to play and showed me the umbrella I could sit under, the buckets I could use and showed me how to dig in the sand. Though still only a thin layer of sand Cakes was imagining an entire beach and items in great detail. She continued this imaginative play for many days until the amount of sand dwindled away and she returned the almost empty bucket to the sand pit.
As messy as this activity is I recommend it and would bring it back into our house if Cakes requested it. I could contain it in a sensory tray, a small pool or on a mat but I don't want to stifle the amazing play she created.
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