Odd Question

[vacation rccl]

We are sailing on Indy over Easter, and my son has an 8th grade science project due when he returns to school. We thought that doing a project that involved the cruise would be fun. His idea is to compare how different the beach sand is from the islands we visit. He will do all the research before he leaves but I was wondering.......is it possible to get a small sample of sand from each island home with us? I will be checking one bag at the airport and could put it in there???

[Sunkissed Mommy]

We are sailing on Indy over Easter, and my son has an 8th grade science project due when he returns to school. We thought that doing a project that involved the cruise would be fun. His idea is to compare how different the beach sand is from the islands we visit. He will do all the research before he leaves but I was wondering.......is it possible to get a small sample of sand from each island home with us? I will be checking one bag at the airport and could put it in there???

 

Coming from a teacher- I think this is a fabulous idea! What a great way to combine vacation and school. :) I don't know that sand shows up on any "lists" as a no-no unless it has living creatures in it.

 

One question though (just for my own sake of being a teacher), what is the problem he is testing in the experiment?

[Arubamoose]

My daughter's 5th grade science experiment while we were in Aruba was to take ambient air, ocean, pool and sand temps at set times of the day (morning, high noon and night) and plot them against each other. Believe it or not - the other kids we were on vacation with were actually jealous and tagged along.

 

I always took my kids out of school for vacations and they did lots of experiments, reading and MOM homework based on where they were going.

[bala1130]

No problem bringing sand home. I do it all the time, normally in my shoes.

 

You might be able to put them under a microscope and compare the size, shape, color, etc of the different sand.

[Langley Cruisers]

How fun! And I should think the teacher would enjoy marking that assignment, and the other students would enjoy reading about it. Great idea!

 

To answer your question, I don't know about sand specifically - I've heard that removing shells from the beach is illegal in some areas. Perhaps you might want to google that and look into the particulars.

[zekekelso]

FYI - Here is the official explanation of the rule about bring "soil" into the US:

 

Soil, Sand, Minerals, and Shells

Soil-borne organisms threaten both plants and animals. If you visited a farm or ranch in a foreign country, agricultural specialists may have to examine and disinfect your shoes or clothing. Vehicles must also be cleaned of any soil. No soil or earth of any kind is allowed into the United States without a permit issued in advance by USDA Plant Protection and Quarantine Permit Unit. Pure sand, such as a small container of decorative beach sand, is usually allowed. Always check with the permit unit in advance for details.

[gerif]

I know you are not permitted to bring sand from Bermuda - you may purchase small vials of "irradiated" sand from souvenier shops, but cannot take it from the beaches. Now there will be 20 posts from people who successfully smuggled some, but . . . .

[PrincesScuba]

FYI - Here is the official explanation of the rule about bring "soil" into the US:

 

Soil, Sand, Minerals, and Shells

Soil-borne organisms threaten both plants and animals. If you visited a farm or ranch in a foreign country, agricultural specialists may have to examine and disinfect your shoes or clothing. Vehicles must also be cleaned of any soil. No soil or earth of any kind is allowed into the United States without a permit issued in advance by USDA Plant Protection and Quarantine Permit Unit. Pure sand, such as a small container of decorative beach sand, is usually allowed. Always check with the permit unit in advance for details.

Great information!! What a nice poster you are! :)

[vacation rccl]

Thanks for the quick reply and great info! He will be looking at each sample under a microscope and will attempt to identify what is different in each sample. I hope that he will get a better understanding of how unique these special places are!!!

[GlenandVal]

we have accidently brought home sand on our January 201 crusie the under currents in the ocean in PTO Vallarta pulled me down and no matter how much I showered I still brought some sand home we had it everywhere

[jerin]

We've brought home bags of shells. I don't see how sand would be any different. My kids will have history and science projects on our cruise -- nothing major, but enough to justify the trip as educational.

[toxicfairy]

No problem bringing sand home. I do it all the time, normally in my shoes.

 

You might be able to put them under a microscope and compare the size, shape, color, etc of the different sand.

:DLOL! That was going to be my answer! I still have pieces of coral stuck in my JUST MARRIED flip flops from Grand Cayman Island!

[tkjohn25]

Don't think you will have a problem. My wife always brings sand home. She just puts it in an empty water bottle. Have fun.

[tina6296]

Go to your local craft store and buy the small plastic vials with twist on tops they use to store seed beads. They'll be in the bead section. They're the perfect size