He took a bucket of water and poured it over the sand, but something really strange happened: the sand would simply not get wet.

It's really cool to watch and it's a great way to learn about science! We have all seen the magic sand that … We have all seen the magic sand that appears to be waterproof.

However, “Magic Sand” begins as normal looking sand, until it’s coated with a substance that repels water. Education.com provides the Science Fair Project Ideas for informational purposes only. Build castles and other structures under the water, then simply pour the water off when you’re finished and the sand is still dry!This is a great demonstration to introduce students to the properties of substances that are hydrophobic and hydrophilic. Touch the sand and see what you find. chemical bonds, the properties of water molecules, and organic chemistry), which are often perceived by students as heavy and boring, emerge spontaneously as part of the inquiry into the mysteries of magic sand.For these reasons I recommend the article to science teachers looking for an inspiring way to introduce organic chemistry to students aged 14–18. How do you think he managed to build a sand castle? Together they developed this activity and are grateful for the generous support of the TEMI project by the European Union under the 7th Framework Programme for Research Funding, Science in Society, under Grant Agreement No.

321403.The article by Ran Peleg and colleagues describes an article from the TEMI project, which aims to teach science using the IBSE approach, starting from little mysteries, magic or myths. Another intriguing application can be found in pet stores under the brand name Kit4Cat. Students could then write a report on the magic sand and its chemistry and uses or create a useful guide on how to use magic sand.This activity was developed as part of the Teaching Enquiry with Mysteries Incorporated (TEMI) project, an inquiry-based science-education (IBSE) project funded by the EU under the 7th Framework Programme from 2013 to 2016. Information for this experiment was based on articles byWe’ll send you a free experiment every week, plus new products and offers.We’ll send you a free experiment every week, plus new products and offers.You'll receive an email every Wednesday with a hands-on science experiment that you can do yourself.Check your email now to learn more and for a special offer from Steve Spangler Science. Finally you can make it at home for cheap. In this experiment you will create “magic sand” that does not get wet when added to water!

A rectangular pan … The sand repels water, but can be ‘wetted’ by nonpolar liquids, such as vegetable oil, which form van der Waals interactions with the magic sand’s surface. Normal sand can form such bonds, since the surface is polar (see Magic sand is different. Build castles and other structures under the water, then simply pour the water off when you’re finished and the sand is still dry! See also the general James is an old man, but ever since kindergarten he has been crazy about building sand castles.

When ordinary sand gets wet, the result is a clumpy mess. This special coating keeps the sand dry even after it has been dumped into a container of water. 1. James became a champion sand-castle builder but one day he entered a competition that was a little different. Although some versions are sold as a toy, hydrophobic sand is also produced industrially and is used for water sealing (e.g. 2. The surface of the grains of magic sand is hydrophobic (apolar), so hydrogen bonds cannot form between the sand particles or with water molecules. Math Humanities Teaching Legal Issues Education WonderHowTo. Discover and how hydrophobic products work. Shake the container and spray sand again. Look closely at the sand.

ISSN 1818-0361 3. Fill a cup 3/4 full with water. This product is designed to collect cat’s urine for medical examinations in a way that the cat finds less stressful than the alternative of a catheter. They can also investigate the technical applications of hydrophobic sand, as briefly mentioned in this article in the ‘evaluate’ phase. Compare Magic Sand with regular sand and note the differences. The surface of the grains of magic sand is hydrophobic (apolar), so hydrogen bonds cannot form between the sand particles or with water molecules. The proposed approach is friendly and engaging, but it is also effective in leading students through a rich learning route, where they can explore a methodology similar to those used in real scientific research.

Instead, magic sand clumps together under water and behaves unlike normal sand. This challenge leads students to investigate hydrophobicity and surface chemistry using the five phases of inquiry-based learning: engage, explore, explain, extend and evaluate.Magic sand (also known as hydrophobic sand) is mainly known as a gimmick that you can buy in toy stores or via the Internet (figure 1), but chemistry teachers have known about it for many years and the science behind the toy has a range of real-world uses.Unlike normal sand, magic sand has a hydrophobic surface that repels water, so it does not get wet. Many videos on magic sand can be found on YoutubeOne way to create magic sand is to treat normal sand with trimethylsilanol ((CHWithin the context of the science-education project TEMI (Teaching Enquiry with Mysteries Incorporated), we invented a story to be used in the ‘engage’ phase to increase students’ interest by creating a personal context and making learning more meaningful. Slowly pour Magic Sand in a continuous stream into the water.