Make Quicksand

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This was a project that my mom actually got for the kids. This was amazing and it held my attention as long as the kids. When I opened up the package, there were very few components. A plastic bowl, a paper sign and foliage, a toy elephant and tiger and a bag of corn starch. Before I started this project, I knew that this would be messy so I taped some paper on the kitchen table. The kids took turns pouring their package of corn starch into their respective bowls and then I added water. As soon as I started to stir the mixture and it got difficult, I knew that I had seen this before.

My friend, Lori had posted about doing this on her blog and I was fascinated. She called it oobleck. We both call it awesome. Don’t believe the movies, quicksand is not really dangerous in itself. Quicksand rarely forms in deep enough areas for people to drown in. It is being stuck that causes the problems. Generally speaking, being stuck in quicksand leaves people and animals in danger of predators and exposure to the elements, dehydration and hypothermia. But why does quicksand react like it does?  Quicksand is what is called a non-Newtonian fluid. That is a fluid that takes on the characteristics of a solid.

So, when quicksand is sitting still, it appears to be a solid, but as soon as it is disrupted, it takes on the qualities of liquids. If you push too hard, quicksand pushes back. But if you stay still, that is when you sink. When stuck inside quicksand, to quickly pull out one foot, it would require the same amount of force needed to lift a car. The trick is to take your time and move slowly to prevent the sand from seizing. 

This was a project that held not only the kids' interest, but mine as well. For an hour and a half! If, as a parent, you can ever find anything that will hold the attention of young kids that long without the aid of a television, it is a great success. This is a great project to do if the kids have friends over, too as it only requires two ingredients.