Remember the pure joy of a sandbox? We were thrilled to create the perfect play space for our little one. We carefully built the base and crafted a secure lid for our sandbox, detailed in our previous posts about the sandbox chronicles. But just when we thought we were done, DIY, as always, threw us a curveball. You’d think a sandbox would be a simple project, right? Sometimes the easiest projects turn into multi-part sagas, while complicated ones breeze by. That’s the beauty (and sometimes the frustration) of DIY! Anyway, after all the sandbox construction, our daughter was happily enjoying her new sandy haven, complete with a cover.
The next day, reality hit. As we were tidying up the remnants of our sandbox project, disposing of empty play sand bags and returning extras, Sherry spotted a warning label on the sandbag.
The label read: “This product contains small amounts of crystalline silica, a common mineral found in natural sands and stones. Excessive inhalation of respirable silica dust may cause cancer and lung disease. Avoid breathing dust. Wear approved respirator in dusty area.”
Cancer and lung disease? Respirators? This was “play sand” meant for kids! Children are supposed to play in this stuff, digging, pouring, and inevitably breathing in the dust. Alarm bells started ringing. We turned to the internet to investigate why something designed for children could carry such a serious health warning. Our research quickly revealed articles highlighting concerns about crystalline silica in play sand and its potential risks, like this one and this one and this one. We realized that the play sand we had chosen might not be the safest option for our daughter to spend hours playing in, especially considering the white, chalky dust that coated her after her first play session – a detail that suddenly seemed much more alarming.
While many of us played in sand as kids and turned out fine (so far!), the composition of sand and its sources have changed. Traditional river or beach sand might have been different from today’s manufactured “silica or tremolite” sand. This shift could explain why concerns about silica in play sand are more prevalent now. A helpful summary from WebMD further solidified our worries:
This information prompted a sandbox rethink. We wanted to eliminate any lingering doubts about Clara’s playtime safety and ensure she could play freely for years to come without us second-guessing our sandbox choice. And that’s when we decided to embrace an alternative that truly rocks: a Rock Box!
Yes, pun intended! The idea wasn’t entirely new. My sister had a rock box for her kids when they were younger. While not suitable for toddlers who still mouth everything, Clara was past that stage. She already loved playing with rocks and pebbles in our yard, even preferring the pea gravel at the local Home Depot over the playground! Plus, rocks seemed less likely to be tracked all over the house compared to sand. So, I embarked on the less-than-thrilling task of emptying the sandbox of all that potentially problematic sand. Wheelbarrow after wheelbarrow, I hauled the sand to the far corner of our property, deep into the woods.
It wasn’t my favorite DIY job, but it wasn’t terrible either. Seeing the empty sandbox felt a bit sad, like something was missing. But that emptiness was quickly filled with excitement as we dumped in the first bag of pebbles – the inaugural addition to our brand new rock box. Things were definitely looking up!
However, a closer look revealed the pebbles were… dusty.
I know, rocks are from the earth, so dirt is kind of expected. And we’re not afraid of a little dirt – after all, we’re building an outdoor play area! But the gritty dust coating the pebbles bothered me. It felt like a small effort to wash them would make a big difference, so I decided to give our rock box pebbles a bath in the wheelbarrow.
I felt a bit ridiculous washing rocks, but the murky water that drained off after the first batch proved it was a worthwhile step.
Enough rock washing, time for the big reveal! Remember, the sandbox lid is securely attached to the fence for safety, a feature we detailed previously.
It took about 20 bags of pebbles to fill our rock box to ground level, providing a good depth for digging. Surprisingly, the pebbles were actually cheaper than the play sand at Home Depot, around $2.50 a bag, totaling just under $50 for our 25 square foot rock box. A small price for peace of mind! If only we’d noticed the sand warning earlier, we could have saved money and started with rocks from the beginning. Lesson learned!
To complete the rock box transformation, we added mulch around the perimeter, creating a cleaner and more inviting play area for Clara. We wanted it to be a fun surprise when she returned from her grandparents’ house.
Clara’s reaction to the rock box was immediate excitement. She didn’t even question the missing sand! We were expecting a “Where’s the sand?” reaction, but thankfully, the rocks were an instant hit, erasing any memory of sand.
Digging in the rocks was no problem at all. We worried the chunkier rocks might be harder to scoop, but even with a simple plastic shovel, she was digging and scooping with ease. Plus, rocks offer a different kind of play – she can scoop them with a shovel and also pick them up individually, adding a new dimension to her play. She loves carefully loading rocks into her toy truck, one by one. It’s the simple things!
And the best part? The rock box is significantly less messy than the sandbox. While baths are still sometimes needed, the pre-house dust-off ritual required with sand is now a thing of the past. Rock box upgrade: success!
Ultimately, Clara’s happiness is what matters most, regardless of a little mess. And those white “rocks” around the rock box? Just dogwood petals, not rock projectiles! So far, Clara understands that the rocks belong in her rock box and happily keeps them contained.
Rock on, indeed!
So ends our sandbox-to-rock-box saga. Have you ever tweaked a DIY project at the last minute? Do some projects surprise you with their simplicity or complexity? DIY is full of surprises, but that’s why we love it!
