Sand and Surf

Spending the day in the surf and listening to the sounds of the ocean is one of the best ways to spend the day. Parents… teaching about the ocean while on vacation is bonus points.

Have you ever found yourself running to grab your beach towel as the ocean water races towards it?  This was a race with the tide.

There are four tides within the 24 hours of a day. The size of the tides conincide with the phases of the moon and the rotation of the earth. There are two high tides and two low tides each day. High tide is seen when the water is at it’s highest point along the shoreline and low tide is when the water is at it’s lowest point.  The tides corresponding with  beach locations around the world can be found on NOAA’s tidal chart website.

The wind and the gravitational pull create energy in the form of waves.

When wind from a strong storm pulls water inward over the land it is known as storm surge. Tsunamis are massive waves that are caused by the movement of the earth during earthquakes and volcano eruptions.

Sand is a result of thousands of years of the breaking down of rocks. Sand all over the world is various colors because of the minerals in it.  Hawaii known for it’s volcanic activity has sand of many colors spread across serveral beaches on the islands. The greenish colored sand contains a mineral called olivine, the pinkish sand shows the presence of iron and the black sand indicates obsidian from volcanic eruptions.  The typical tan colored sand found on many beaches is made up of the minerals quartz and feldspar.

A day in the sand in surf is a great way to make memories for kids of all ages. Teaching them about it while they are there will encourage them to take good care of it for years to come!