Magic Fizzy "Sand!"

Once upon a time there was a mom who found herself with a very bored child.  He didn't want to play with any of his toys.  He didn't want to play outside.  And he certainly did not want to do any crafts.  Finding herself at her wits end, this mom pulled out 2 ingredients from cupboard and within minutes, whipped up several batches of wonderful smelling Magic Fizzy "Sand."  She then gave her child the sand and he played and played. After he grew tired of the activity, magic mom waved her magic wand and poof!  The sand began to bubble and fizz, delighting the child once more.  And they all lived happily ever after.

Ok.  Full admission time... I was that mom.  And yes, I found myself with a grumpy child.  And yes, this magic "sand" ended up entertaining him for over half an hour (which as we all know, is like years in little kid time.)

Let's Make Magic Fizzy "Sand!"

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If you find yourself with a super bored or grouchy child, then this activity is for you.  Magic "Sand" is easy to make, smells wonderful, and really does fizz and bubble with water.

Wanna know how I made it?  Keep reading!

Materials Needed

• Magic Sand (recipe below)
• Bowls
• Sensory Bin (We're cheapie, so we just place one of these storage boxes on top of a table.  Bam. Done.)
• Various toys (These are always our go-to favorites)
• Turkey baster (Our current favorite water play toy.) 
• Baking pan

How we Played with Magic Fizzy "Sand!"

I handed Chuck several bowls filled with different colored magic "sand" in a shallow baking pan.  Then, I let Chuck mix the "sand" around in our homemade sensory bin.  (Note:  Make sure everything is DRY.  Water will activate the "sand" and make it fizz and bubble.  You don't want to give away the secret just yet!)

The different colors mixed around to give some lovely magic rainbow colored "sand."  Now only was it beautiful to look at, but it had a great aroma too. 

Chuck then got to work pretending that he was working at the construction site.  He played happily on his own for about half an hour.  (Hooray!)  (Note:  We did this activity indoors because it was too hot outside.  But I definitely recommend doing this activity outdoors.  Magic "sand" can get everywhere.)

Then, once Chuck started getting bored, I reminded him that this wasn't normal sand, but magic "sand."  I handed him a cup of water and showed him how adding water to the sand made it bubble and fizz.  He took to this part of the activity right away and enjoyed using his giant turkey baster to add transform the "sand."

Oooh! Shazam!  Watch it fizz and bubble!  

Ingredients to Make Magic Fizzy "Sand"

Have I whet your appetite enough yet?  Curious to know what's in this magic, fizzy, "sand?"  Ok.  The wait is over.  Drum roll, please.  (Rat-a-tat-a-tat).  I don't have magical powers.  The sand isn't really magic at all.  (Boo, sad face.)  The "sand" is a combination of Kool-Aid and Baking Soda.  Yup.  That's it.  I bought a whole bunch of different flavored kool-aid packs (which contain citric acid) and mixed them with a bit of baking soda.  (About a 1:2 ratio.  But you could probably experiment around with the proportions.)  The baking soda and citric acid in the kool-aid didn't interact with each other until water was added. So that's why it was important to keep everything dry.

So, ok, our "sand" wasn't really sand at all.  :)  But Chuck didn't care.  He loved the way it smelled, played with it for quite awhile, and then had a blast watching it fizzle and bubble away.  (And then of course, he had a ton of fun playing with the remaining colorful water.)

Let me know if you try this activity out with your kids, ok?

If you're interested in other fun sensory activities, check these out below!

• 3 Ingredient Borax Free Slime
• 3 Ingredient Play Dirt
• Make Fake Snow from Diapers
• Shaving Cream and Water Play

And you can always find other fun ideas on my Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter accounts!

Have fun wowing the kids!