TIDE TIMETABLES

Tides happen at different times every day, and that can be annoying! Imagine going to the beach to build sandcastles... but when you get there, it’s high tide and the

HOLD BACK THE TIDE!

You can’t stop the tide… or CAN you? To protect the coastline from erosion, different kinds are used.

Tide Machines

Sand can even be shipped in to page 34.

Today, we use computer software to predict the tides. But 150 years ago, they used amazing tide-predicting machines like this. They had lots of cogs and wheels to work out the tide cycles and were an early type of computer!

Tidal Islands

It’s an island! Oh no it isn’t! Tidal islands are only islands sometimes. They’re cut off by the sea at high tide, but at low tide, they’re linked to the mainland by a beach or a path called a causeway

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St Michael’s Mount in Cornwall is a tidal island

Now you need to protect them! Build a wall around them using tightly packed sand, pebbles, seaweed, driftwood or any other natural materials from the beach.

3. What happens when the tide comes in? Which materials keep the water away for the longest

If you can’t get to a real beach, you could use play sand to make your own miniature beach in a dish, tray or sandpit. Build a mini sandcastle and sea wall, then add more and more water to make a rising tide. You can mimic waves by pushing on the water with a plastic bottle or cup.