Sandpit

{{Short description|Playing area for children}} {{Redirect|Sandbox}} {{About|the children's play area|an open-pit sand mine|Sand mining||Sandpit (disambiguation)|Sandbox (disambiguation)}} {{pp-semi-indef}} {{Use American English|date=January 2021}} {{mcn|date=October 2021}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2021}}

[[File:Sandbox Lawn Jam Our Community Place Harrisonburg VA June 2008.jpg|thumb|250px|Children play in a communal sandbox]]

[[File:Sandpit.jpg|thumb|250px|Sandpit with toy tools used by children to play in sand]] A '''sandpit''' (most Commonwealth countries) or '''sandbox''' (US and Canada) is a low, wide container or shallow depression filled with soft (beach) sand in which children can play. Sharp sand (as used in the building industry) is not suitable for such use. Many homeowners with children build sandpits in their backyards because, unlike most playground equipment, they can be easily and cheaply constructed.

==History== German sand gardens were the first organization of children's play in public spaces.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://savingplaces.org/stories/how-we-came-to-play-the-history-of-playgrounds/|title=How We Came to Play: The History of Playgrounds – National Trust for Historic Preservation}}</ref><ref name="play-scapes.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.play-scapes.com/play-design/natural-playgrounds/the-garden-and-the-playground/|title=The Garden and the Playground – Playscapes|date=29 August 2012|access-date=5 June 2018|archive-date=24 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201024130059/http://www.play-scapes.com/play-design/natural-playgrounds/the-garden-and-the-playground/|url-status=dead}}</ref> The German "sand gardens" were an 1850 offshoot of Friedrich Fröbel's work on kindergartens.<ref name="lange">{{cite news |last1=Lange |first1=Alexandra |title=An Intellectual History of the Sandbox |url=https://slate.com/human-interest/2018/06/history-of-the-sandbox-the-origins-of-a-playground-for-kids-and-ideas.html |access-date=18 June 2018 |work=Slate |date=18 June 2018}}</ref> Sand gardens were introduced to America by Marie Elizabeth Zakrzewska, starting in her home city of Boston,<ref name="bostonglobe.com">{{cite web|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/ideas/2014/03/28/how-american-playground-was-born-boston/5i2XrMCjCkuu5521uxleEL/story.html|title=How the American playground was born in Boston – The Boston Globe|website=The Boston Globe}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.prm.nau.edu/prm346-old/sand_garden.htm|title=blank|website=www.prm.nau.edu|access-date=5 June 2018|archive-date=23 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210123073305/http://www.prm.nau.edu/prm346-old/sand_garden.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> inspired by the German sand gardens she observed while visiting Berlin in the summer of 1885.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P4YYAAAAYAAJ&q=sand+1885&pg=PA22|title=The Play Movement in the United States: A Study of Community Recreation|first=Clarence Elmer|last=Rainwater|date=22 August 2018|publisher=University of Chicago Press}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pgpedia.com/s/sand-gardens|title=Sand Gardens|website=www.pgpedia.com|access-date=5 June 2018|archive-date=27 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210727013159/https://www.pgpedia.com/s/sand-gardens|url-status=dead}}</ref> Joseph Lee from Boston is considered the "founder of the playground movement".<ref name="bostonglobe.com"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://hnr.k-state.edu/doc/rres-210/boston-sand-gardens.pdf |title=Boston sand garden |website=hnr.k-state.edu |access-date=5 June 2018 |archive-date=29 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201029163151/https://hnr.k-state.edu/doc/rres-210/boston-sand-gardens.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>{{Clarify|reason=what is the playground movement, and why is he considered the founder of the playground movement?|date=May 2025}}

==Physical description== {{unreferenced section|date=October 2021}} The "pit" or "box" itself is simply a container for storing the sand (or other material) so that it does not spread across surrounding surfaces. They sometimes have lids to cover the sand when not in use. The use of actual sand can be a health risk, such as ringworm, which can be introduced by animals.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Health hazards lurking in the sandbox|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/health-hazards-lurking-in-the-sandbox/|access-date=2021-10-27|website=www.cbsnews.com|date=27 April 2016 |language=en-US}}</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}}

== External links == {{Wiktionary|sandpit}} * {{Commons category-inline|Sandboxes}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20110610200102/http://www.breswaoutdoorfurniture.co.nz/kumeushow.htm Example of Wooden Sand Pit / Sand Box]

Category:Playground equipment Category:Sand Category:Play (activity)