One day, several weeks back, my grandmother came and spent a day day with the children.  My husband and I were out, and when we returned, she had a lot to say about the fun they had in our backyard.  But, as she saw it, something was missing.  We hadn't yet filled our sandbox with its allotted amount of springtime sand.  The next day, Grandma phoned to ask if we would mind if she purchased some new sand for the children.  This is the kind of gift homeschool Mom's love, of course it was fine to give the wonderful gift of sand.  What happened next will doubtless live in the The Rivendell School's hall of fame for many a year to come.  Three days later a HUGE truck pulled up in front of our house with 22 TONS of sand - yes, you read correctly - 22 TONS!  In awe my children watched the truck groan its way up our driveway, around the house, and into the back yard, where it proceeded to dump, in one huge mountain, 22 tons of sand.  To try and describe the excitement would certainly cheapen the experience.  They were ecstatic.  For weeks now they have lived in the backyard.  The mountain of sand shows little sign of wear and tear for all of the climbing, exploring, digging, and play.  It has had a crater dug out at the center to make it into a volcano.  A plastic set of dinosaurs ruled there for days.  It has been a mountain in many and various adventures involving giants and villians of all sorts.  It has been the site of a restaurant, serving only the finest sand pies and cakes.  The extraordinary uses of this wonderous addition to our school can hardly be breached here.  Dump trucks have made roads in and over it, flags have been planted on top.  New and exciting adventures take place almost daily.  If any of you have ever considered the merits of a large load of sand, I can only sing its praises!  I did buy a small mat to catch the dirt and sand as they come in the back door.  Now the children come in and take off their shoes and head for the Montessori cabinet to get the little sweep broom and tray.  They can sweep up the sand at the door and toss it back out for another day!  If you can budget for a mountain of sand - the benefits are truly worth it - or just find a kind and adventerous Grandmother with creative gift ideas! 

Thank you Grandma!

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