Sandbox

The Forest Hills Park (right on Ardmore Blvd) has a sandbox. That isn't too far from Sq. Hill. And the Squaw park in Fox Chapel does have a volleyball court/sandbox. It is a little far to go, but it is an awesome playground - it also has a duck pond.

As the first poster said...many suburban parks have sand volleyball that you can use as a sandbox. Two more I know of are Pine Park and Richland Park. Kind of far for you to drive though I would think.

I agree-- I don't let my son play in a public sandbox. They are filthy. This is especially important if you or anyone one your son will be around happens to be pregnant, since you can easily get toxoplasmosis from sand that neighborhood cats have used.

From another board I read that Squaw Valley Park in Fox Chapel is upposed to have a sand volleyball court that doubles as a sandbox when not being used for volleyball. I've never been there but the directions say it is right off of the Fox Chapel exit of Route 28 (head North on Fox Chapel road just about 1/2 mile. You might want to check out the Pittsburgh Mom website for more info on other local venues/activities. http://pittsburghmom.com/

I would highly recommend NOT letting your child play in public sandboxes, if you can find one anymore. They have pretty much taken them out of the parks, because of the problem with animal feces. Plus, there are those teenagers who think it is funny to put broken glass in and bury it. Anyway, these are the reasons why parks have taken out sandboxes.

Hope this helps.

WARNING: "Sandbox" = "Litter box" to every outdoor and feral CAT in the vicinity! (And that includes any area with sand, such as volleyball courts.) Tons of potential for bad disease in there, and NOT just for little ones who don't have great hand hygiene - I'm sure you are aware that bacteria can enter through tiny cuts you don't even know they have gotten yet, especially if they are playing on the playground at the same time. You also don't know what's in there in terms of broken glass, etc.

I strongly advise you to invest in your own - they aren't very costly. To make it even less expensive, or if you don't have a yard to put it in, get the largest shallow rubbermaid container you can find - if Joann fabric has what you need, there is a 40% coupon in the Sunday paper every single week - and use that (you can keep the lid on when not in use, and put a tarp under it if you have to use it indoors to keep it out of the carpet - but obviously a patio or other outdor area is better).

Another idea if you do have a place for a regular sandox is to check the Pennysaver or GreenSheet for someone selling cheap, or advertise on Freecycle for one - if you are not familiar with this, google "freecycle pittsburgh" - there is a yahoo group for it and stuff like that goes through there FOR FREE all the time. The rules, etc, are on the site. You have to post 1 offer before you can start posting wanteds, but even the littlest thing is allowed and probably desirable to someone. :-) After you join, you can look through previously posted messages for ideas if you can't think of anything off the top of your head that you want to get rid of. Good luck and God Bless!