Sand Sans Sand

Whether you teach Art or Geology, you'll find thisissand.com worth a visit. It's a site that is artistically cerebral. Why? It allows visitors to engage in cyber-sand painting. Don't be surprised if all you see is an apparent blank, grey screen when you visit the site. Just press and hold your left-mouse button for a little while and watch what happens. Click on the tiny square in the upper left-hand corner and access these instructions:

A glimpse at the gallery that accompanies the site is likely to whet anyone's appetite for playing with this intriguing tool for self-expression. How could this site be used in a classroom? Teachers and students studying Art could combine thisissand.com with a traditional lesson related to sand painting, thereby allowing learners to demonstrate synthesis (from Dr. Benjamin Bloom's well-known Taxonomy of Educational Objectives) in a surprising pleasing manner.

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Common's wonderful SVG graphic.

For pupils in a Science or Social Studies classroom, thisissand.com would be useful for exploring sedimentary rocks, earth science, geology and similar topics. Paired with Landcraft and other resources, thisissand.com would wow students and open up a rich discussion about how the face of our planet is changed by natural forces.