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THE SEASHORE

INTRODUCTION

This activity was developed as we traveled to Albuquerque, NM during a Sabbatical leave, 1999-2000.  We realized that very few of the children we would meet in New Mexico would have had the opportunity to experience the seashore.  As we traveled through the Delmarva Peninsula, the Outer Banks of North Carolina, and along the Florida coast, we gathered specimens of shells, sea life, and sand.  We also became aware of The Seashore Book by Charlotte Zolotow. In this book, a mother, who had been raised near the ocean, describes the ocean to her young son.  The pictures and descriptions are vivid, so that by the end of the story, not only does her son have the ability to "be at" the ocean with his mom, but so do the children with whom you share the book.
 

PURPOSE

The purpose of this activity is to share with children a new part of their world so they, too, can learn to dream of faraway places, but also to help them see the excitement of learning what their present world has to offer.  Children who live near the ocean may never have experienced the desert,the mountains, or the Great Plains, and a similar activity could be developed for them. 
 

MATERIALS

  • 1 copy only of The Seashore Book
  • A variety of shells and "sea critters" which are found on the beaches  (NOTE: we do not take any living things)
    Some of the items the children have found most interesting:
    • Horseshoe crab
    • Starfish
    • Whelk and Conch shells (Local folklore classify these 2 sea creatures according to the direction of their spiral.  It is said that they are mirror images of each other. That is, because of the way they twist, you can easily put your left hand into a whelk shell, while the conch shell will fit your right hand.  This does not appear to be an "official" method of classification, but the differing spirals are a characteristic that is interesting to point out.   One of the ways in which the  "Conchologists of America" classify these "critters" is on the basis that whelks are carnivores, while conchs are herbivores.2
    • Whelk or Conch Egg Cases  - with some of the tiny baby shells (1/16") taken out of the cases so the children can see them 
    • A Moon Snail and its Sand Collar - a precious gift from two teachers in Washington.  The Moon Snail builds its very fragile collar of sand and slime on the beach during a brief period of time in mid-Spring.  The eggs are not laid in the center of the collar, like a birdís nest, but are instead cemented into the collar with the sand.  The color of the sand collar varies according to the sand available on the beach. 2
    • A variety of sands from different beaches
    • Sand from the White Sands area of New Mexico
  • "Magic" Sand: available at toy stores or from: Educational Innovations, 326 Main Avenue, Norwalk, CT 06851
    Order phone: 1-888-912-7474; Web site: www.teachersource.com
  • Magnet:  preferably white
  • Clear plastic cups
  • Water
     

PROCEDURE

After reading the story and allowing the children to examine and touch the shells, we ask what is another major part of the seashore.  When they think of sand, we show them the different sands weíve gathered.  Some of the sand is obviously darker than the other sand because it contains magnetite.  You can remove the magnetite from the sand by pouring some sand into a cup of water and having a child stir the sand with a magnet (the black magnetite show up more easily on a white magnet).  Stir for about one minute and let the children observe the magnetite particles on the magnet. 

We then show them the "Magic Sand".  NOTE:  We want the children to know that science is not a magic show.  While some things scientists do are surprising and seem "magical", we explain that we will always try to help them understand what is happening.  Scientists are not magicians.  However, magicians often use good science, though they themselves may not realize it!

Partially fill a clear plastic cup with water and pour some of the regular sand into it.  Ask the children to describe what happens to the sand.

Partially fill another clean cup with water.  Pour some of the "Magic" Sand into it.  Ask the children to describe what happens.  Some of the sand will remain on the surface of the water.  Carefully poke your finger or the blunt end of a pencil down through that sand and observe what happens.  Pour the water into another cup, leaving the "magic" sand behind and ask the children to describe what they observe. 

Pour the sand onto a paper towel which will absorb any remaining water drops; then pour the sand back into its container.
 

EXPLANATION

The "magic" sand is regular sand that has been dyed and coated with a hydrophobic (water-fearing") polymer.  This type of polymer repels water and keeps the sand dry.3  Therefore, when you pour the "magic" sand into water, it will pile up, making almost a sandcastle under water.  When you poke an object down through the sand that is floating, the object will stay dry until you break through the sand layer.  And when you pour off the water, the "magic" sand will be completely dry, except possibly for a few drops of water that can be absorbed by the paper towel.
HINT:  If you purchase a large amount of "magic" sand, break down the package into smaller amounts (we suggest about 2 Tablespoons).   The polymer coating eventually begins to break down, and this way you can throw the "old" sand out and use a new packet. 
 

REFERENCES

1.  Charlotte Zolotow, The Seashore Book, paintings by Wendell Minor, Harper Collins, 1992.
2.  http://www.listserv.uga.edu/archives/conch-l.html
3.  www.teachersource.com/catalog/index.html
 
 
 
 
Kids Involved Doing Science is at http://www.kids.union.edu          Modified 02/23/2001  by C. & P. Scaife