HYDROPHOBIC SAND aka Magic Sand Experiment

Procedure:
Add some magic sand to water, cup or bowl. Clear or transparent cups allow you to see from the side as well from the top.

Explanation:
The magic sand is an amazing substance that will not get wet in water. It forms spectacular formations underwater, and when the water is poured off, it is completely dry. One advertising slogan for this substance is “You cab bet it won’t get wet!”. Well that is true, but I found out the hard way at Science night one year, when you have 300 kids put their hands on the magic sand for over a hour the oils from their hands makes it so the sand gets wet. So I would challenge that slogan with my Science night kids. Magic sand is made from ordinary sand, which is colored. It is then coated with a hydrophobic substance similar to wax that repels water. Hydrophobic literally means “ Fear of water.” The substance used to coat the sand in non polar, which is why it repels water.

So I thought to my self I wonder if I could make my own Hydrophobic sand. So I did what every scientist would do and got some sand and sprayed it with Rain guard that we use for our shoes. I sprayed it multiple times and turning the sand over each time to make sure I got all the sand on all sides. Here are my results not as good as Magic sand but it was fun trying. I think I will stick to the Magic sand I bought.