Playing in the Sand

You would probably think that playing in the sand is something only slightly older children can do, babies would eat the sand obviously, so sand pits are a no-go for them.  Or are they?  I found the idea to create a sand pit for babies using edible sand, namely corn meal, and to my amazement a local supermarket actually had some, (it's also called polenta, but is a powder rather than a block that we are more familiar with).  If you are wondering where to find it, have a look in the "world foods" section in your supermarket, it's probably there in a very big bag made by an unfamiliar brand.
I put a load into a plastic tub and let Biscuit get stuck in with spoons and scoops, he ate it of course but that was ok because it was perfectly safe!  Yippie!

Of course the corn meal sand pit was much more exciting for Boris than his actual sand pit so he got stuck in there too!

Playing with sand (and corn meal) is a great sensory experience for both babies and toddlers, they can move it around with their hands and fingers, scoop it with cups and spoons; helping them to understand about volumes and the qualities of sand, and especially with corn meal, tastes and textures, there is so much learning potential with sand.  What activities do you do with sand?