Do you remember this stuff from when you were little? I was doing some research and came across this and I got so excited! It made me really happy remember all the fun times I had out in the sun with this stuff (I think because my day camp leaders didn't want us kids inside with it. Imagine the clean up with 15 kids!)Happy Monday everyone!
Materials
- One box of cornstarch (16 oz)
- Large mixing bowl
- Cookie sheet, square cake pan, or something similar
- Pitcher of water
- Spoon
- Gallon size zipper-lock bag
- Newspaper or a plastic drip cloth to cover the floor
- Water
- Food coloring
- Pour approximately 1/4 of the box (about 4 oz) of cornstarch into the mixing bowl and slowly add about 1/2 cup of water. Stir. Sometimes it is easier (and more fun!) to mix the cornstarch and water with your bare hands.
- Continue adding cornstarch and water in small amounts until you get a mixture that has the consistency of honey. It may take a little work to get the consistency just right, but you will eventually end up mixing one box of cornstarch with roughly 1 to 2 cups of water. As a general rule of thumb, you're looking for a mixture of roughly 10 parts cornstarch to 1 part water. Notice that the mixture gets thicker or more viscous as you add more cornstarch.
- Sink your hand into the bowl of “quicksand” and notice its unusual consistency. Compare what it feels like to move your hand around slowly and then very quickly. You can’t move your hand around very fast! In fact, the faster you thrash around, the more like a solid the gooey stuff becomes. Sink your entire hand into the goo and try to grab the fluid and pull it up. That’s the sensation of sinking in quicksand!
- Drop a plastic toy animal into the cornstarch mixture and then try to get it out. It’s pretty tough even for an experienced quicksand mixologist.
Looks messy + but that equals fun! + the messier the better.
ReplyDeleteWyetha