DIY Magnetic Sand Box

 MAGNETIC SAND BOX

Pretty cool!!

In our local Stride Rite shoe store they have a magnetic sand table similar to this one…

 

 My son loves this table and I knew we could make something similar at home.  I set up this invitation using a shadow box frame purchased from Walmart and Poly fil pellets (also from Walmart).  We have the magnetic set seen HERE, and used the objects from the set for this project.  We soon realized that the Poly Fil Pellets were too thick to manipulate the magnets, so we tried some sand (too much sand will make it harder to move the items – and the finer the sand, the better).  It was much easier to move the balls around with sand.  The magnet wand worked on the underside of the frame as well as on top.  This is a great activity for developing coordination.  I love that we can change it, add objects, take objects away, etc.  There are so many options for play as long as you have items that are magnetic.  You can utilize it for color recognition, a fun game of I-spy, or just a calming/soothing activity.  It’s still a work in progress for us as I hope to find more objects to add.  I will add to this post as we continue to explore our new DIY toy.

The invitation

Pouring in the poly fil pellets

Must.  Touch.  Pellets.

All done, but too thick to manipulate objects

We decided to try sand.

Pretty cool!!

- AK (MESE, MECD)

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