Is rice a safe material to put in a sandbox for children to play in?

Hello mozz9125-ga,

Rice is safe to put in a sandbox. In an article in Today's Parent they
specifically recommend rice over sand as a safety improvement. Sand
may be a safety concern (toddlers put it into their mouths, and it
might not be clean). "You can use cornmeal or rice instead of sand.
Rice doesn't pack into shapes, but it sifts through your fingers in a
very satisfying way"
SOURCE: http://www.todaysparent.com/toddler/behaviordevelopment/article.jsp?content=20050426_153108_5416&page=3

I have seen a play area at an Elementary school (indoor) that used
rice in a sandbox. The important thing to realize is that supervision
is important, especially with very young children. Other than that,
rice is perfectly safe, the downside being that it might not be as fun
to play with as sand.


Search Strategy: 

rice sandbox safety age

Remember its organic ........it will rot in time,,,,,,,it will smell
as it rots,,,,,,

Yes, and rice is rather hydroscopic, and it attracts insects:
http://www.ipm.iastate.edu/ipm/iiin/ricewee.html

Nothing harmful to humans, but not very aesthetical.  The article in
Today's Parent strikes me as rather superficial in this regard. 
Cornmeal?!

Personally, I am in favor of sand:  the rice won't be cleaner after a
couple of days; the fun thing with sand is discovering the differing
properties of wet and dry sand - making sand pies/castles/roads;
playing with a substitute is depriving a child of experience with
Mother Earth, indirectly suggesting that sand and dirt are "no-no,
don't touch."