Materials
Clean or silicone sand, about 4 cups (1 liter)Cookie sheet or lasagna pan, 8" x 11" (20 cm x 27.5 cm)3 sturdy sticks, 12" (30 cm) long, or a 3 1/8" (10 mm) dowel
String or yarn, about 18" (45 cm) long
Pointed stone or mason plumbob tool
Instructions
1. Pour the sand into the sheet or pan.
2. Place the three sticks into the sand, positioning their bottom ends in tripod position.
3. Bring the top ends of the sticks together and wrap several times with string.
4. Drop the remaining string down the center of tripod.
5. Tie the pointed rock or plumbob point down to the string so its tip touches the sand gently.
6. Adjust the sticks to allow free movement of the pendulum, so the point sketches the sand and continues to move.
7. Encourage the children to gently push the end of the pendulum to set it into motion and make a design.
8. Erase the sketch by smoothing the sand, and begin again.
