The beach is an amazing place to teach kids about science — here are three things to try this summer

An old coffee cup becomes a handy mould to discover the difference between dry and wet sand. (Photo: Sanné Mestrom)

By Chris Speldewinde

9 Dec 2024

Many things on the beach offer opportunities to teach different scientific concepts.

Summer is a wonderful time for families to go to the beach and for small children to get to know the water and the sand. But aside from being a place to relax, my new research shows how the beach provides many ways to teach children about science.

I research science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) learning in bush kinders. These are programmes, adapted from the European and UK forest schools, where preschool children regularly go into the natural environment with their daycare centre or preschool to gain an appreciation for nature.

Educators do not take any toys, balls or games, so the children are reliant only on what is available in nature for play.

Taking learning outside

Bush kinders often happen in parks, forests and gardens, but educators and researchers are increasingly looking at the benefits of education around beaches.

These “blue spaces” provide children with wide open spaces to learn through play. But so far, there has been little research on the educational benefits of beach learning in early childhood settings.

Last year, I observed a “beach kinder” where childhood educators and four- and five-year-old children went to the beach along Victoria’s Surf Coast. They were spending between three and five hours per week at the beach for a term as part of their regular preschool programme.

What I noticed was how many opportunities the beach provides to teach little kids about science.

Here are three examples families can try on their next visit to the beach.

Rockpool life

When the tide is low, the ocean can expose a wide range of plant and animal life. Small fish, crabs, starfish, sea plants and maybe even an octopus can be found in rockpools.

You can ask your child how many different animals they can see. You can also search for barnacles that look like small volcanoes or periwinkles – the little snails that live in the splash zone.

You can talk about how animals can sometimes be very small or hiding – just because we can’t see them does not mean they are not there.

You can talk to children about how these small animals survive as the tide rises and falls. For example, crabs bury themselves in the sand away from the water, or other types of shellfish can shut their shells tightly to keep the water out. If possible, gently lift one for a look and then replace it just as gently.

You can explain life cycles and simple biology as you walk among the rockpools. For example, sea turtles lay their eggs on sandy beaches, then the baby turtles make their way to the sea where they mature into adults.

Beach Science An old coffee cup becomes a handy mould to discover the difference between dry and wet sand. (Photo: Sanné Mestrom)

Sticky sand

Sand is an amazing thing to play with and it changes, depending on where you are on the beach.

Far away from the water’s edge, have your child take a handful of dry sand and watch what happens as it slips through small hands. Walk closer to the water and do the same thing. Ask your child whether they have ever wondered why dry and wet sand are so different.

You can explain how the water in the sand actually acts like glue, making the sand grains stick together. This lets us talk to young children about chemistry and how different materials interact with each other.

Try making sandcastles with wet sand and dry sand and see the difference. Is one version harder to work with than the other? What happens if you mix wet and dry sand together?

Watching the waves

The waves can teach us about floating, sinking and the force of water. Children can have a lot of fun using pieces of seaweed or small sticks as boats, letting them bob up and down on small waves.

They can even have “seaweed races” learning about how waves can move different materials around.

Sea waves and ocean currents are really important because some marine animals, such as dolphins and turtles, use waves to move around. In fact, some animals migrate thousands of kilometres to and from breeding grounds.

You can then replace the seaweed pieces with shells and ask your child to observe what happens. You can ask them why the seaweed stays on top of the water, but the shell goes underneath.

Talk about how the shell is heavier than the water and so will sink. This helps them to understand the physics of floating and sinking as well as the patterns associated with wave motion.

This summer when you’re at the beach, think about all the science happening around you.

This could include the animals and habitats you encounter, as well as all the many changes and other things happening with the sand and surf. DM

First published by The Conversation.

Chris Speldewinde is a research fellow at the Research for Educational Impact Institute at Deakin University in Australia.

This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available countrywide for R35.

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Sci-Tech

Taking learning outside

Rockpool life

Sticky sand

Watching the waves