Sand: The Gritty Reality

You see sand in lots of places: the beach, on the playground, in gardens, as part of buildings. We even talk about sand in our eyes. But what about sand in windows and computers? Did you know that sand is the second most common element on earth (oxygen is first).  Sand is likely to be more important than you ever dreamed of.

CONNECT:

Not all sand is created equal; did you know that the best beaches are ranked by 50 criteria?  Take a look how sand is rated: http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/optics/olympusmicd/galleries/oblique/seasand1.html.

Trace how sand becomes a circuit at http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/history/museum-making-silicon.html

Watch how glass is made – from sand: http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Glass

How does an hourglass measure time? The Library of Congress knows: http://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/mysteries/hourglass.html

CREATE:

Search “sand” at http://kinderart.com/. You’ll find lots of sand-based art activities to do: sand painting, sand jars, even dinosaur treasure eggs.

Learn how to do sand sculpting at http://www.virtualnjshore.com/tbsandcastles.html

Practice being a sand scientist at http://faculty.pasadena.edu/dndouglass/sand/SandExrc.htm

There are a surprising number of statistics about sand. Try a Google image search on “sand statistics.’ Any surprises?

CARE:

You can contribute to the global virtual sand collection: http://faculty.pasadena.edu/dndouglass/sand/sandmap.htm

Have fun and be eco-friendly by make recycled sand and water toys: http://www.inhabitots.com/how-to-make-recycled-sand-and-water-toys/

Help save sand dunes at http://www.envirolink.org/resource.html?itemid=799&catid=5

Find out about the importance of reefs, including sand ones, and how you can help protect them: http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/encyclopedia/reef/?ar_a=1

CAREERS:

Sand is used in manufacturing, whether to sand down items or build them. Sand is used in energy, such as the oil industry. Sand is used in science: archeology, chemistry, physics, oceanography, and so on. Sand is part of the tourist industry too. The jobs associated with sand may be as numerous as the grains of sand on the beach!

http://www.madehow.com/Volume-3/Sand.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBPqWa1vDTM

Really? Manufacturing sand? Here’s why: http://www.metso.com/miningandconstruction/mm_sepa.nsf/WebWID/WTB-120530-2256F-72E1B/$File/Why%20manufactured%20sand.pdf

http://www.sand.org/

BTW: Sand in your eyes isn’t really sand; it’s rheum – dried mucus (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rheum)

Family Fix-it

Is your family in a fix? All family members should feel confident about doing household repairs; you never know when something might need fixing – and such practice are good for the environment. Family members can teach each other – and they can consult reputable online resources. In addition, reading repair documents helps one follow and create good directions, which is a valuable lifelong skill.

CONNECT:

• Yahoo contribute Sylvia Branch lists five basic home repair skills for kids: https://shine.yahoo.com/five-basic-home-repair-skills-kids-223800824.html
• Ms. FIXIT’s how-to library has lots of advice on home repairs. Here’s her list of ways to deal with laundry and stains: http://www.mrsfixit.com/fixits/FixitCategoryList.asp?id=16
• Watch about electricity safety at http://www.ogepet.com/videos/kids-safety-video.aspx
• Kids can be rough on clothes, so it’s good to involve them in repairing those occasional rips. The University of Kentucky cooperative Extension Service provides useful factsheets on clothing repair: http://www2.ca.uky.edu/hes/fcs/factshts/CT-MMB-147.PDF

CREATE:

• Children should learn how to use basic repair tools, such as screwdrivers, hammers, and even can openers. Get some starting tips at http://www.stretcher.com/stories/10/10dec06e.cfm
• How do parents start teaching children about home maintenance and repair? Get some ideas from http://voices.yahoo.com/involve-kids-home-maintenance-repairs-teach-self-12314086.html?cat=25
• There are some tips for teaching children basic plumbing skills: http://plumbernw.com/teaching-your-children-basic-plumbing-skills/
• Youngsters can have fun with these fire prevention activities: http://www.sparky.org/

CARE:

• You may find that directions need improvement, or you might discover a better way to do something. http://www.wikihow.com/ provides a venue for contributing how-to-ideas to the public.
• Here are some great youth programs focused on “recycle-a-bicycyle”: http://www.recycleabicycle.org/youth-programs.  See if something similar is in your area – or consider starting such a program. You can become a member of this program, and get ideas for helping.
• RePlay for Kids is an organization that provides free repair services to agencies tht work with kids with disabilities. Teens often participate in this service, so maybe your family can get involved too: http://www.replayforkids.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=109&Itemid=54
• Find good resources on bike maintenance and bike repair for kids at http://www.partselect.ca/resources/bicycle-maintenance-and-repair.aspx. Maybe you can host a neighborhood bike repair day.

CAREERS:

Do you have handy family members? Even in this “throw-away” culture, there are always repairs to do, and as people become more resource conscious, repair/recycle jobs will become even more important. There a lot of ways to get a fix on jobs in repairs:

http://www.bls.gov/opub/ooq/2010/fall/art03.pdf

http://money.usnews.com/careers/best-jobs/maintenance-and-repair-worker

http://occupations.careers.org/field/49/installation-maintenance-and-repair

https://www.collegetoolkit.com/careers/category/installation__maintenance___and__repair/49.aspx

http://www.careerprofiles.info/installation-repair-careers.html

FOR PARENTS:

Be sure to discuss with your family as to when a repair should be done by an outside expert rather than dealing with it by yourselves. This note applies particularly when high-voltage electricity is involved.