Science in the sandbox

Students make volcanos, floods, droughts with high-tech sandbox

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BROOKINGS – Usually, the sandbox is left to recess and the outdoors. 

But for the past seven weeks, Hillcrest Elementary School second-graders have been playing with one of the most high-tech sandboxes around as part of their curriculum in earth science.

It’s called an augmented reality sandbox. It’s a raised black box on wheels containing about 200 pounds of sand. An Xbox 360 Kinect monitors the terrain for any changes, and a projector beams down the actual contour lines of the sandy landscape, complete with color to indicate height and depth.

It’s still a new teaching tool to South Dakota, but the one at Hillcrest is not the only one – there are about four others in the state now. This one is owned by the East Dakota Water Development District, a state government entity that works to promote the conservation, development and proper management of water resources within its boundaries.

EDWDD Senior Project Specialist Deb Springman first came across the concept while looking for watershed activities in 2015. Originating from the University of California, Davis, Springman wanted to have one to use for the water festivals (a fourth grade-level educational event about water resources and conservation) the EDWDD runs.

It takes a gaming laptop to run the software required for augmented reality, and it takes two people about an hour and half to calibrate it before it can be used – they have to let the computer know the boundaries of the box, as well as other factors such as height and depth – when it’s first set up at a location.

Thanks to the use of an Xbox 360 Kinect – an add-on camera to the Xbox 360 video game console that could register movement as a means of interacting with some video games – different hand gestures can trigger different events on the sandscape. With an open hand and fingers spread, simulated rain begins to pour onto the map, pooling at the low points.

They can also simulate droughts and snow.

It cost EDWDD $3,000 to build it, with some funding help from the South Dakota Discovery Center in Pierre. The sandbox has 200 pounds of a special, nontoxic sand shipped from Canada. It’s made from crushed feldspar rock, and the fine sand is commonly used in therapy rooms and the like. With two cups of water sprayed into it, the sand is able to hold its shape well when piled up or dug into.

Hillcrest second-grade teacher BilliJo Johnson first heard about the AR sandbox while looking for alternative activities to do while other second-grade classes went to the Children’s Museum of South Dakota for special lessons. Because there were too many children to go at one time, one of the second-grade classes would have to stay behind.

When Johnson spoke with someone at the Children’s Museum and mentioned they had to cover erosion in class, Springman was recommended to her.

“So, we called that afternoon, and she said, yeah, she’d be available and be willing to help us and had all kinds of ideas,” Johnson said.

Each of the second-grade classes gets its turn for three weeks at a time. Students begin by learning about different kinds of landforms, building some out of Play-Doh as well as utilizing the augmented reality sandbox.

“They’re absolutely thrilled to get their hands in there and create things,” Johnson said. “We had a lot of volcanos being made in my group.”

Next, they learn about how wind and water changes the earth, and the third week, they talk about ways to prevent or reduce wind and water erosion. All activities were done in a hands-on, interactive way.

A stream table was used to help make those later points.

“The kids were able to direct the water and see how it would cut away at the land and how they could put houses up higher so that they would be safer from the stream, or if they put trees closer to the edge, it would protect the sides of the banks so that the water wouldn’t wear it away,” Johnson said.

Through Springman’s work, the teachers have learned something themselves, and have learned how to replicate some of the activities done.

“She’s brought a lot of other activities besides the AR sandbox that we can replicate, things that just use tubs or cake pans and sand, plants, water and straws,” Johnson said.

Springman will be done with her time at Hillcrest in two weeks’ time, right before Christmas break. The sandbox will leave then. The next time the sandbox will be put to use is at the Sioux Empire Water Festival in Sioux Falls this spring.

Contact Eric Sandbulte at esandbulte@brookingsregister.com.