Sand in My Hands
Sand in My Hands
Sand in My Hands
in
my
Hands!
An activity book on Sandy Beaches and Sand Dunes for children
How to use this book
This book is to help children, teachers and others to explore
sandy beaches and sand dunes. It is a mixture of information,
activity, fun and learning. It has been designed for adults and
children to work together, to learn from the field and the
community.
The teacher/educator should only act as the facilitator,
encouraging children to ask questions and to look for answers
themselves, through observations on the field and by talking
to elders.
Encourage children to express themselves through drawing,
writing, narrating stories and even poetry and drama. The
book attempts at giving certain ways in which learning/teaching
can be carried out, but the educator should feel free to invent
his/her own ways.
Have fun!
Credits
The conceptualisation, design
and production of this book
followed a field-based and
collaborative approach and
effort by teams at Handesign
and the Coastal and Marine
Programme (CMP), ATREE.
The Handesign Team
Coordination & Content
Peeyush Sekhsaria
Design & Activities
Shashwati B.
Illustrations
Deepthi Radhakrishnan
The CMP Team
Concept, Framework &
Content Advice
Naveen Namboothri
Aarthi Sridhar
Sudarshan Rodriguez
Kartik Shanker
Photo Credits
Peeyush Sekhsaria &
The CMP Team
1. This is Giri ! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2. Your Coast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Maps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3. The Elements that Shape our Shores . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Waves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Winds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Tides . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Intertidal Zone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
4. Sandy Beaches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
How is a Sandy Beach Formed? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Life on Sandy Beaches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Adaptation of Intertidal Organisms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Shells . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Crabs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Turtles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Birds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Other Interesting Creatures on the Beach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
5. Sand Dunes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
What are Sand Dunes? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
How do they Form? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Dune Flora . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Dune-plants and Humans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Exotic Plants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Palmyra Tree and its Uses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Dune Fauna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
6. Importance of Sandy Beaches and Dunes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
7. Threats to Sandy Beaches and Dunes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
8. Protecting and Restoring Sand Dunes and Sandy Beaches . . . . . . . . .
9. Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Contents
This symbol indicates an Activity
01
03
07
09
09
09
09
10
13
13
14
17
19
23
24
25
27
29
29
29
31
33
33
34
35
41
45
51
53
Giri is a boy who lives in
Akkaraipettai, a little
village in coastal Tamil Nadu,
India. He loves the ocean and
spends hours on end playing
on the beach.
Giri will accompany us
through this book as we learn
about Sand Dunes and Sandy
Beaches !
See Giris village on the
map on the next page.
1. This is Giri !
Fill in the following
Tell Giri something about yourself !
My name is
I live in
in the state of
Does your village/town/city have a beach?
How far is the beach from your home?
1 Meet Giri
Can you mark out where you live in the
map of India given below?
Colour the oceans & seas surrounding our country.
Can you name these water bodies?
2 Meet Giri
M
a
p
n
o
t
t
o
s
c
a
l
e
Giri lives
here!
Indias coasts are special. All along its length - about 7,500 km - people live in
large numbers. Nearly 250 million people live within 50 km from the coast! That
is the shaded area on the map below. People live here even though the coast is
sometimes not a very easy place to live in. Do you know how many cyclones
hit the Bay of Bengal in the last 100 years? Over a thousand! And many of these
damage property that people own and even put their lives in danger. Why do
people continue to live in coastal areas?
Well, the coastal area is an amazing neighbourhood with very interesting
neighbours! Where else will you find underwater building colonies (coral reefs),
grassy parks growing underwater (seagrasses), trees with strange and visible roots
Arabian Sea
Bay of Bengal
3 Your Coast
2. Your Coast
Indian Ocean
(mangroves), shores of rocks, sandy stretches (sandy beaches) and hillocks of
sand (sand dunes). All of these neighbourhoods and the life forms that live in them
quietly form a sort of protective shield against any harm that waves, storms or
cyclones may bring. Each one is called an ecosystem - a kind of neighbourhood
by itself. Not much is known about these ecosystems, or who lives in them, or
why they are important. Through this book, we try to understand two of these
coastal neighbours better - Sandy Beaches and Sand Dunes.
In December 2004, a strong earthquake in the country of Indonesia caused a giant
wave to come flowing all the way to India. In Tamil Nadu, where these wonderful
ecosystems like sand dunes no longer existed, the tsunami caused a lot of damage.
People died and their homes and their lands were badly damaged.
Coastal people and fisherfolk in these areas remembered the importance of sand
dunes and sandy beaches, in protecting them from the power of the waves. Even
though they live so close to the salty ocean, the water they get in their wells is
sweet! This was because the sand dunes magically stopped the salt water from
mixing with the sweet water.
In many parts of the coast, and even in other parts of the country people are
beginning to respect these ecosystems. They now know that that it is a part of the
coastal peoples lives.
But, in other places, sandy beaches and sand dunes are still being destroyed and
we are exposing ourselves to the destructive forces of the oceans. Let us learn
more about these systems so that we can help people protect themselves.
4 Your Coast
My Coast ! My Beach ! My Dunes !
Have you ever been to a beach? When did you go last?
Where is this beach? Did it have sand dunes ? Write
about your experience in the space below.
Remember to think about the following : Why did you visit the beach ? How often do
you go ? What did you do there ? What was it like ? What all did you see ? What did you
hear? Who all were with you ?
5 Your Coast
Draw pictures of 5 things you saw at the beach...
6 Your Coast
Maps !
You must have seen maps on the television or in newspapers. Your Geography
Book is full of maps. A map can be drawn about anything you want. It is a
representation on paper of the things that you see around you.
In general, a good map includes a:
Title: This tells you what the map is a representation of.
Date: This helps the person reading the map to understand when the map has
been drawn.
Legend: This is a key telling the reader the meaning of the symbols that the
map-maker (cartographer) has used to represent different things on the map.
Orientation: This marks the directions on the map - north, south, east & west.
Reading a map !
Look at the map on the following page, and use its
legend to spot the following :
Sea Beach Casuarina plantations
Village River Paddy fields Sand Dunes
Can you examine the map closely and say whether
this place is on the east coast or the west coast of
India ? How can you tell?
(Hint: Use the orientation of the map!)
This section on Maps has been adapted from the You, Me and Disaster activity manual, produced by
Architecture and Development and designed by Nomita Khatri.
7 Your Coast
Paddy field
Palm tree
Casuarina
House
River
Sea
Legend
Sand dunes
Draw your own map !
With the help of your teacher, draw a map of the path
that you would take from your village to the beach.
Make sure you use a large sized piece of paper.
You can work in small groups of 2-3 people.
What are the different things that you see along the
way (buildings, trees, fields, shops) ? Draw each of
them carefully. Make sure your map has a Title, a
Date, a Legend and an Orientation marked.
Put your map up on a wall of the classroom for
everyone to see.
Title : Layout of Village, Tamil Nadu
Date : 25th October 2008
8 Your Coast
Orientation
N
S
E W
3. The Elements that
Shape our Shores
Waves
Where do waves come from, how are
they formed? Wind blowing over the
sea-surface creates a friction and drags
on the water below. When the wind
action becomes strong, the drag
increases and waves are formed.
Some winds make waves hit the shore
at an angle. These waves bring sand to
the beaches.
Waves can create and waves can
destroy. Each passing wave moves the
sand around changing the shape and
slope of the beach.
During storms and cyclones, waves
smash on the beaches directly and tear
away a large amount of sand and also
other objects on the coast. Such
waves cause large scale erosion
on the beaches.
Winds
Winds are one of the most
powerful and mysterious of
natures wonders. Winds cause
waves; sailors use them to sail;
you use them to fly kites and
nowadays they are also used to
generate electricity through
wind turbines.
Tides
Tides are the periodic rise and fall of
large bodies of water like the sea. Tides
are caused by the gravitational pull of
the moon and the sun. The gravitational
attraction of the moon causes water
to bulge. The bulge causes water level
to rise and is generally called the High
Tide. When the moon moves away,
the water slowly recedes and this is
called the Low Tide. Tides are highly
predictable.
9 Elements that shape our shores