To find the area of a circle, you can use the formula:
\[ \text{Area} = \pi r^2 \]
where \( r \) is the radius of the circle.
In this case, the radius \( r \) is 2.5 feet, and using \( \pi \approx 3.14 \):
\[ \text{Area} = 3.14 \times (2.5)^2 \]
First, calculate \( (2.5)^2 \):
\[ (2.5)^2 = 6.25 \]
Now substitute back into the area formula:
\[ \text{Area} = 3.14 \times 6.25 \]
Now perform the multiplication:
\[ 3.14 \times 6.25 = 19.625 \]
Thus, the area of the sand mandala is approximately:
\[ \text{Area} \approx 19.625 \text{ square feet} \]