This area can be seen as an extension of the Nature/discovery area that readily promotes children's cognitive skills.    It engages children in making careful observations and comparisons using measurement and problem solving skills. Children discover that water can be splashed, poured, and frozen while sand can sifted, raked, and shoveled. They quickly notice that the physical appearance and properties of both can change when combined. Children learn about volume and capacity as they fill empty containers to discover that quantity remains the same regardless of the size or shape of the container.  They also explore cause and effect as they discover which objects sink and which objects float.