Saudi Gazette Playing in sand pits is fun, interesting and relaxing. Little children adore the cool and soft texture of the sand in their small hands. It is a place where a child loves to spend countless hours digging, furrowing and shaping their creations - whether it is building large sand castles, baking mud pies or simply shaking the sieve to watch the minute particle fall to the ground. However, playing in sand pits have stirred a debate between doctors and educators. Pre-school educators believe that children enjoy playing in the sand so much that they refuse to leave the sandpit when their recess is over and insist on staying there for long. It is the children's favorite activity corner. Fatima Asiri, Principal of a Pre-school in Abha, said, “playing in the sand accomplishes far more than what meets the eye. Children improve their mental and motor skills, learn to cooperate with others, develop patience, and their imagination grows when they play in the sand.” Basma Al-Ahmari, a Kindergarten teacher, also feels that playing in the sand enhances the overall personality of a child. “The sand pit is one of the most important activity corners for our students, and they are allowed to play in the sand every day at recess. Playing in the sand has many benefits that parents are unaware of such as, improving a child's creativity, intensifying their thinking skills, boosting self-confidence in his/her own abilities to produce something amazing, and promoting teamwork and sharing,” said Al-Ahmari. However, on the other hand, some doctors have strictly warned against the regular use of sandpits in schools as the sand may pose a risk of exacerbating allergies in sensitive children. Dr. Lubna Abdul Wahab, a Pediatrician at Al-Thamal Medical Center in Abha argues that playing in the sand poses serious health risks and that the disadvantages of the sandpit far outweigh its benefits.She said that many cases of asthma attacks in young children were triggered because of sand or dust. “Close contact and recurrent playing in the sand can cause allergies and irritation in lungs, eyes, mouth, and nose. Sensitive children may experience breathing difficulty after playing in the sand. Children with asthma and other allergies should be kept away from the sand because it can cause further inflammation of the respiratory tissues and air passage ways,” she said. She further added, “Schools should remove the sandpits from their premises and provide young children with other recreation options like in door games or other out door games. Another health risk that threatens children is when they play in the sand and then touch the food they eat. Sand grains get stuck under children's fingernails. When a child rubs her eyes, the sand that comes in contact with the eyes can be very irritating and painful.” Dr. Jawhara Al-Setyini, a Pediatrician at Dr. Ghassan Pharaon Hospital in Jeddah, told the Saudi Gazette that “it is harmless for healthy and normal children to play in the sand as many children find great pleasure in it. However, I strongly discourage children with asthma or other allergies from playing in the sand because it has been proven that it can worsen their condition. At school it would be very difficult and quite unfair to discriminate between the healthy and the sick children. You cannot hold behind children with asthma and exclude them from this form of group play. If the sandpits are eliminated, there are plenty of other fun activities and play equipments that schools can provide for the little children.” Although doctors admit that playing in sand pits plays a vital role in developing and shaping a child's personality, other equally enjoyable alternatives which are less harmful for children should be taken into consideration by teachers and parents. __
