sand dune experiment

How To Make Sand Dunes For A School Project

A sand dune is a hill of loose sand built by wind processes also known as eolian processes. Sand dunes are found in deserts and coastlines around the world. The science behind forming sand dunes involves two elements: sand and wind. Wind provides energy strong enough to move the grains of loose sand. An item of obstruction used as a stabilizer such as a tree, a large rock or shrubs often stop the sand from a continuous blowing motion and the sand begins to pile up to form dunes. This can be demonstrated in a simple sand dune project.

Prepare the work area by covering a table with plastic table cloth or newspapers.

Pour play sand into a shallow container such as a baking pan or shallow shoe box. A 9-by-11-inch container that is at least 2 inches deep works well. A shoe box with a lid is a good choice for a classroom presentation because it is easy to transport.

Push away an area in the center of the container to make room for the rock. Place a rock or other object with a flat bottom inside container. An object that measures no more than 1 inch tall works well to create a solid stabilizing point for the sand.

Shake the container gently until the surface of the sand is smooth and flat using care not to shift the rock out of place. Set the container on a flat surface and hold the rock in place as you gently tap the sides of the container.

Blow gently through the drinking straw to move the sand toward one side of the rock. Depending on the amount of air provided in each breath, it will take several breaths to move the entire cup of sand to form a dune. Keep the straw just above the surface of the sand and make long soft blows through the straw.

Remove the straw from your mouth before each additional breath to avoid sand getting into your mouth or airways and to prevent too much saliva from building up inside the straw. If the sand becomes wet, it will not easily move. As you continue to blow, a sand dune will form on one side of the rock.

Things Needed

• 1 cup of dry play sand
• Shallow container such as baking pan or shoe box
• Drinking straw
• Rock or other object with flat bottom

TL;DR (Too Long; Didn't Read)

Straws with larger openings or several children blowing on the sand at the same time will speed up the process.

For a variation, use different sized granules such as sugar, salt, sea salt, dried mashed potatoes and watch what effect it has on the peaks when the wind hits them.

Remove straw from mouth before inhaling so sand is not ingested.

If sand gets in your eyes, immediately flush with water

• Museum of Science: Turbulent Landscapes In South Florida: Sand Dunes
• Education.com: Formation of Sand Dunes: Janice VanCleave
• Publications Service Center: Eolian Processes

Cite This Article

Scott, Tere. "How To Make Sand Dunes For A School Project" sciencing.com , https://www.sciencing.com/make-sand-dunes-school-project-8422049/. 24 April 2017.

Scott, Tere. (2017, April 24). How To Make Sand Dunes For A School Project. sciencing.com . Retrieved from https://www.sciencing.com/make-sand-dunes-school-project-8422049/

Scott, Tere. How To Make Sand Dunes For A School Project last modified March 24, 2022. https://www.sciencing.com/make-sand-dunes-school-project-8422049/

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Nature builds with sand, using wind to create dunes. Explore how wind and sand form different types of dunes on coastlines and in deserts. And find out how satellites help scientists figure out how dunes formed and how they are changing them over time. Then try the DIY Science activity, “Sandbox Dunes” to make your own model dunes.

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Creating Sand Dunes Lesson Plan

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Please help us grow this free resource by submitting your favorite lesson plans.

Lesson Plan #:AELP-EAR000 Submitted by: Barb Hawkins, Wabaunsee East USD 330, Harveyville, KS Date: May 1994

These lesson plans are the result of the work of the teachers who have attended the Columbia Education Center’s Summer Workshop. CEC is a consortium of teacher from 14 western states dedicated to improving the quality of education in the rural, western, United States, and particularly the quality of math and science Education. CEC uses Big Sky Telegraph as the hub of their telecommunications network that allows the participating teachers to stay in contact with their trainers and peers that they have met at the Workshops.

Grade Level(s): 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

Subject(s):

• Science/Earth Science

OVERVIEW: Many Mid-western students are not familiar with formation or movement of sand dunes. Students watch demonstration of the effects of wind (from hair dryer) on plain sand, then sand with stones and grass, and record and justify conclusions. They then examine their thinking as they figured out how to justify each conclusion.

PURPOSE: This experience will also demonstrate to students the importance of proper dune management for conservation purposes.

OBJECTIVES:

• Students will be able to explain how sand dunes are formed.
• Students will be able to explain the different circumstances that effect the movement of or formation of sand dunes.
• Students will be able to relate the information gathered to soil conservation.

ACTIVITIES:

• Inquire what students know about sand dunes. Connect experiences with shapes of the dunes.
• Label the pans A and B. Place 1.5 liters of sand in each.
• In pan B arrange stones and grass in different areas throughout the sand.
• Turn the dryer on low speed. Hold it at a 45 degree angle, 10 cm from one end of pan A. Hold it for 1 minute. Record all observations. Repeat with pan B.
• Change to high speed on dryer. Hold it at a 45 degree angle, 10 cm from one end of pan A for one minute. Record the effect. Repeat with pan B.
• Sketch a diagram of the appearance of the sand in each pan.
• Level the sand in pans A and B. Repeat steps c-e for each, blowing the air for 3 minutes each time.

RESOURCES/MATERIALS: For each group: 2-speed hair dryer, 2 flat pans, small grass clumps, angular stones, 3 liters clean sand, and dustpan and broom for clean-up.

TYING IT ALL TOGETHER: Students will have the opportunity to share results and conclusions with the other groups. The groups can make comparisons and contrasts. It is important to draw conclusions as to how this information might be of interest to those concerned with soil conservation.

Depending on the curriculum into which this activity is integrated, the teacher might wish to expand it by the use of other conservation techniques or into the study of the rock cycle.

Table of Contents

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Beach Erosion Project

Have you ever noticed what happens to the coast line when a big storm rolls through? Where did the beach go? What you are noticing is the effect of coastal erosion, and now you can set up a beach erosion demonstration to show your kids what’s happening. This fun and easy ocean science activity is sure to be a hit with your kids, with hands-on learning!

Explore Erosion For Earth Science

Break out the sensory play as you prepare to add this beach erosion activity to your ocean-theme lesson plans. If you want to learn about what’s happening between the sand and the waves, let’s dig in (literally!). While you’re at it, check out more fun ocean activities , experiments, and ocean crafts. 

Our earth science activities are designed with you, the parent or teacher, in mind! They are easy to set up and quick to do. Most activities will take only 15 to 30 minutes to complete and are heaps of fun! Plus, our supplies lists usually contain only free or cheap materials you can source from home!

Let’s explore beach erosion by building a model! This is a great hands-on ocean STEM activity that is sure to get kids thinking!

What Is Beach Erosion?

Beach erosion is the loss of beach sand, usually from a combination of wind and water movement such as waves and currents. Sand is moved off the beach or shore by these things and is transferred to deeper water.

This process makes beaches appear shorter and lower. You can see severe beach erosion after a strong storm like a hurricane.

TRY: Learn more about erosion with an edible soil layer model and this fun soil erosion activity.

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Erosion Experiment

Dive into Earth Science and explore what happens to our beaches due to coastal erosion.

Watch the Video

• White paint pan
• Blue food coloring
• Plastic bottle
• Large pan or tray.

How To Set Up A Beach Erosion Model

STEP 1: Add about 5 cups of sand to one side of your pan. You will want to build it up on a slope so that when water is added some of the sand is higher.

STEP 2: Place some rocks or shells in the sand for a beach theme!

STEP 3: Fill a small bottle with water, add a drop of blue food coloring, shake and pour into the deep part of your pan.

STEP 4: Add 4 more cups of water.

STEP 5: Use the empty bottle to press up and down in the water to make waves.

STEP 6: Pay attention to how the water affects the sand. What happens if the waves move faster or slower?

How Can We Stop Coastal Erosion?

Coastal erosion is the loss of coastal land due to the removal of sand or rock from the shoreline. Sadly, building along the coast can damage sand dunes.

Dunes are mounds of sand that separate the beach you walk on and higher ground. The roots of dune grasses help keep the sand in place. Try not to walk on the dune grasses, so they are not destroyed!

People sometimes build walls called jetties that stick out into the ocean and change the movement of the sand.

Seawalls can also help with erosion. They are structures that separate land and water and generally help prevent erosion from large waves. Seawalls are more significant structures where flooding is more common. Please don’t remove rocks from the seawall!

Classroom Tips

This beach erosion activity asks a few questions!

• What is coastal erosion?
• What causes beach erosion?
• How can we stop erosion?

Let’s explore the answers together!

Be prepared! Kids are going to loving play with this, and it could get a bit messy!

Further Extension: Have kids develop ideas for something they can make that will help prevent beach erosion during a storm!

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Printable Ocean Activities Pack

If you want to have all of your printable ocean activities in one convenient place, plus exclusive worksheets with an ocean theme, our 100+ page Ocean STEM Project Pack is what you need!

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~ projects to try now ~.

Hybrid test dune to measure erosion during storms

Last week, a hundred-metre-long test dune rose on the coast near Monster. A hybrid dune, consisting of a combination of sand and hard elements. Researchers from TU Delft are monitoring how different configurations erode during stormy weather conditions. This will allow hybrid dyke-dune structures to be designed more efficiently and safely in the future. 

“We don't know exactly how long the set up will stand. We expect the dune, which is close to the coastline, to completely fade in the next two to three months”, predicts Daan Poppema , postdoc Hydraulic Engineering. With hydraulic engineering companies Van den Herik and Boskalis, thousands of cubic metres of sand were moved for the construction of the test dune. This week, the last measuring instruments will be installed, and then it will be waiting for nature's elements.  

The best of both worlds 

The Dutch coastline is traditionally protected by sandy dunes and hard dykes. The coast is being protected with hybrid dunes more often now, such as the dyke-in-dune constructions in Noordwijk, Katwijk and Groede. The idea is to combine the best of both worlds: dunes match the natural character of the Dutch coast and help valuable nature. In addition, dunes can grow with sea level rise. Dykes, on the other hand, offer better erosion resistance than dunes.

Due to interactions between sandy and hard elements, erosion occurs differently in hybrid dunes compared to sand dunes. The Hybrid Dune field experiment is a unique opportunity to better understand this process. The test dune consists of four different cross sections: A sandy dune; a dyke (sand covered with hard dyke slope); a dyke-in-dune (dyke slope covered with sand); and a barrier-in-dune (a core of containers in the dune).  

Measuring during storms

Thanks to colleagues and Civil Engineering students, the test dune and shoreline are equipped with a wide range of measuring instruments, says Poppema: “With the sensors we will measure the water flow, height of the waves and erosion of sand.” When storms are approaching, researchers and students spring into action. Then drones and LiDAR (laser) take additional measurements to map dune erosion. 

Climate adaptation

The dune is close to the high-water mark. This way, it will be possible to observe effects of extreme weather conditions as early as next year. ‘We don't want to wait ten years for that one extreme storm, so at this carefully chosen location we are deliberately placing the dune in a vulnerable position”, he says. Sea level rise and extreme weather events increase the urgency to work on new technical and natural solutions for climate-adaptive coasts and rivers. 

The field experiment, Hybrid Dune, is part of the Future FRM Tech project , which received a NWO Perspectief grant in 2022. Thanks to additional support from Rijkswaterstaat, it is possible to collect data on such a large scale. Want to know more about Future FRM Tech? Watch the video: 

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7 Sand Science Experiments for Kids

We have been posting many natural science experiments for kids . Today we share some sand science experiment ideas to do with kids. You can do these activity at beach, or sand box at home, or a park. Kids all like to play with sand, and let’s play!

Fun Sand Science Experiments with Kids

Kids all like to build sand castles . Do you know why sand can stack on top of each other? It is because the sand grains all have flat surfaces. However, every one built sand castles know that wet sand works better. If you are looking for science explanations, you can visit the science of sand castles .

Observe sand under magnifying glasses , what will you see? When you look at sand from distance, it may look like it is all one color. When you start to look at individual grains of sand, you will see the many colors, shapes and sizes of the different grains. Ask kids to describe what they see. Sand has some very interesting properties. Because it is a granular media, it displays both properties of a solid and a liquid. When it is in a pile, it acts as a solid. But if you poured sand out of a bucket, it looks like liquid! It is in fact widely researched for its solid and liquid properties. An easy demonstration and experiment is to pour sand through funnels, and examine time difference of sand of different granular size pouring through holes of different diameters. The basic idea is to pour the same amount of sand through funnels of different sizes, and record and compare the time they go through the different funnels.

If you run a magnet through sand , more than likely you can pick up some small particles of iron. Where could they come from?

With sand, you can also demonstrate Brazil Nut Effect . It is the effect that when grains of different sizes are mixed together, and the mix is shaken, the bigger particles will move to the top. You can also do this experiments by making some mix yourself, like mixing rice and beans.

Build a well with gravel and sand , and learn where the water we use every day come from.

To learn more about sand, you can read these books about sand for kids: Jump into Science: Sand will be a fun read for preschool to school age kids, and A Grain of Sand will show you the fascinating sand grains.

For more natural science activities for kids, visit 100+ Natural Science Activities for Kids and Summer Science Activities for Kids .

Next post: Over 150 STEM Activities for Kids in Your Kitchen

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STEM activities like these are perfect for teaching kids new things and also to help them in developing an interests towards STEM fields. Thanks for sharing these ideas, they are very useful!

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