How to Sandbox

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Last Updated: September 23, 2024

Welcome to wikiHow's sandbox, a place to play around with wikiHow's editing capabilities! Feel free to experiment on this page as you wish. Just remember that this page will be reverted back to a clean version every so often. Use this guide to help you write and edit articles.

For your personal sandbox, see this or this page.

Sandboxes are fun! You can play in them, relax in them, and dig in them. But how do you build one?

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Starting a Sandbox

1
Decide where to build your sandbox. Unless you are building your sandbox in your own yard, you will need to get permission from the owner of the place to build it where you wish. Some places might be better than others.
- Never place the sandbox in the ocean because sandboxes cannot float. Also, why would you place your sandbox in the ocean? All of the sand will be washed away if you build your sandbox in the ocean. If you want a mini-pool, maybe making a sandbox isn't for you. You can build it in the park (if you have checked that it's OK to do so), or in your yard - the classic option.
Tip: If you place your sandbox on the beach, make it far from the ocean. What’s the point anyway, because don’t beaches usually have sand?
If it is in a public area, you will want to make it larger, to allow the greater number of users. If it is in a place where wild animals are present, take care, for they may mess with it. If there are wild animals, make sure to make the walls high and put a ladder on for the kids. If this is a playground for kids, make sure the edges are safe and keep your work-space clean and blocked off if it takes several days to complete.
Do not place your sandbox under a tree. Dead trees and huge craters make the sandbox unattractive. Don't place it on a beach, as that will be pointless with the over-abundance of sand (unless it’s one of those ‘rock beaches’ but then the ground would be uneven anyway) and don't place it inside a mall or house (as that would make a humongous mess to clean up!).
4
Ask an experienced sandbox builder to help you or simply enlist the help of your buddies. Give them an inspirational speech like, "Today we leave behind a legacy, blah, blah, blah". If they seem suitably impressed, refrain from telling them what you're really doing.
- Note: bring food and water. This can become a laborious job.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Finishing a Sandbox

Obtain enough money in order to build the sandbox. If you decide that's too much effort, get your friend to buy the materials.
2
Use wooden planks to build a square. Then nail a piece of plywood to the bottom of the square. Don't stack each side 10 feet (3 m) high. Kids won't be able to get in and out if you do.
- Consider the finish on the wood. If you've got kids using it then they might sit on the wooden rim. Which, if it's solid wood, would be fine, but you want to make sure that the wood is flat, smooth and splinter-free. Sanding it would be an effective method of getting rid of a rough top to the wood and then add varnish to make it waterproof. You could also paint it so that it looks nicer and there are fewer splinters (if any). If you are re-using planks similar to the ones used in the photo, be sure to remove all old nails or any attached metal to prevent injury or possible tetanus infections if someone gets a cut.
You can buy the sand at your local hardware store or specialist filtered sand from toy shops. To spice it up a bit you could always add some sea-shells as well. You can also get the sand from a beach.
Use caution during this step, as sudden stampedes are likely. Don't forget to ask their parents for permission.
The children can play in there.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Resetting the Sandbox

1
Click on the history button in the top left corner. This will open the page's history.
2
Click on rollback 1-10+ edits. This will undo the edits that were made to the sandbox and clean it.

Community Q&A

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Question

Can you experiment with Q&A in the Sandbox?

Jayne

Community Answer

Only if you have certain Q&A rights, but this would be a good answer to experiment on.

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What is this page?

Aasim

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The sandbox can be used to experiment with editing and other functions without creating problems for other editors. You can ask for help with editing from the help team.

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Tips

Start your instructions with a verb, such as 'make' or 'go', rather than a conjunctive such as 'and' or 'then'.

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You may feel weird at first when you start correcting other people's errors, but with time you'll grow to love doing it.

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If you want to build a Sandbox in real life then, by all means, check out the wikiHow article Build a Sandbox.

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Warnings

Do not attempt to inhale/eat the sand.

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Do not put sand down your pants.

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Do not throw sand in the faces of others; it is a deeply unpleasant experience to have it in one's eyes.

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Do not take these instructions seriously. They may not be accurate due to the frequency of edits that are made to this page.

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Do not blank the sandbox, redirect the sandbox, insert copyright violations, or leave personal attacks in the sandbox. This is just as unacceptable as on any other wikiHow page.

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Do not leave children unattended in the sandbox.

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Do not pour any chemicals in the sand.

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Do not put the sand into a injection pen - as doing so could kill them or make them seriously ill.

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Do not "borrow" sand or wood from your neighbor's sandbox to make yours the best one in your neighborhood. This is not just immoral but also universally illegal.

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Do not fill your sandbox with dirt. This would be a "dirt box" and will make your children disappointed at best.

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