The idea came to Sunderland Elementary Kindergarten teacher Cindy Granger while she watched the little ones at play. “The kids loved digging in the playground, especially in the wood chips located around the swings on the playground,” Granger says. “Then it hit me. We need a sandbox.”
A sandbox is much more than a place to play. It offers younger children an abundance of learning opportunities and benefits. “Just spending time digging in the sand can be therapeutic,” she says. “Not to mention that it helps develop fine motor skills and eye-hand coordination. Time in the sand with friends also calls for collaboration, creates problem solving moments, and helps build communications skills. It’s a win-win for everyone.”
With a goal set, Granger needed a concrete plan. First step. Find the perfect spot for a Sunderland Elementary sandy learning center, the sandbox for short.
She didn’t need to look too far. Right outside the door next to the kindergarten classroom was a raised vegetable garden bed that had quietly gone to seed. It was conveniently boxed in by wooden planks. No one could remember when it was last planted.
Granger quickly learned that making a transition from a garden to a sandbox would take some time. “One day after school I started pulling the weeds,” Granger recalls. “In just a few minutes I knew that I would need some help.”
A number of volunteers lined up. One parent offered to spend a weekend removing the dead plants from the nine-by-nine foot square former garden. Next up came Granger’s kindergartners who made taking out the old topsoil into a game using small plastic shovels and buckets as tools. When the task seemed too daunting, the Sunderland fifth and sixth graders stepped up with muscle and might — and real shovels — to finish the job.
With dead plants and topsoil out of the picture, the attention turned to filling up the sandbox with the missing element. Enter Miles Lumber. The Arlington store joined with the school in donating 20, 50 pound bags of play sand. When it was realized that they would need 30 more bags, Miles Lumber gave them a 10% discount. A total of 50 bags of sand weighing 2,500 pounds — 500 more than a ton. This was going to be some sandbox!
The new Sunderland Sandbox officially opens this spring. Granger’s students plan to celebrate by unveiling a sign designed and made by the kids in their art class. The final touch will be a cover to keep the play area clean and safe.
“I love how everyone pitched in to make the sandbox come to life,” Granger says. "I can’t wait to watch them dig in.”