sand castles

For the new generations, the need to have a more and more urgent need to their parents to promote physical and outdoor activities in them, currently Mexico ranks first in the world in childhood obesity and second in obesity. adult, behind only the United States, according to UNICEF’s own data, so investing time in games, sports or any other kind of physical and mental activity outdoors, should be a priority, not only because of the obvious health benefits, but also because of today’s young generation, have arrived in a different world from that encountered by those of us who were born before the dizzying digital age. This is why it is becoming increasingly important for today’s children to have at home a reference to that world of imagination games, no technology and lots of fun that we once had., playing in the garden, touching the earth, getting wet in the rain, are activities that have different benefits for the development of the little ones and not so little, so today we have brought to you the perfect recipe for the next time you come to Oasis, spend the afternoon playing with your children, no matter how old they are, and build the perfect sand castle together.

Let’s get to work

You are one step away from the perfect sand castle.

Building sand castles is an activity that has entertained children and adults for generations.s on beaches all over the world, yet for most of us, lacking a passion or talent for architecture, our works are further from our imagination than we would like and making good towers, walls or bridges was complicated, until today.

The magazine NATURE one of the most renowned scientific publications on the planet, recently released an article
in which a team of scientists led by the  professor at the Institute of Physics of the University of Amsterdam Daniel Bonn, explains the necessary proportions to achieve a mixture between sand and water that allows us to create the perfect material with which to give free rein to our imagination and createthe perfect sand castle.

Correct proportion, perfect sand castle

The secret lies in adding just 1 to 2% water to the sand mixture, and compacting it correctly, in an interview for the portal MOTHERBOARD Physicist Daniel Bonn explains it this way:

Danniel Bonn, author of the article.

“Water droplets or soap bubbles are spherical because that shape minimizes the total surface area; a larger surface area means a greater expenditure of energy. Likewise, a small amount of water between two grains of sand forms a small liquid bridge that minimizes the surface area between water and air so that if we vary the position of one grain of sand relative to another, we automatically create surface area. This would incur an additional energy cost and therefore create resistance to deformation.”

“One can easily check this by putting a glass with a flat bottom in the sink. If the sink is dry, it is easy to lift the glass. However, if we put a drop of water between the glass and the sink, it becomes very difficult.”

Let’s build the perfect sand castle

One of the Bonn team’s experiments consisted of create cylindrical sand castles with a base of 2 and 7 centimeters that reached a height of 27 and 60 centimeters respectively. “Using beach sand and a water ratio of 50 to 1, a 20-centimeter-diameter cylinder could reach 2.4 meters in height,” the report reads, a size quite consistent with that of the large sand castles that can be seen in competitions.

So now you know, orForget old-fashioned techniques, get the perfect mix of water and sand. (50 to 1 ratio), use your hands to compact the sand, create a large base when you need to seek height, and in addition to the classic shovel and can, you can perhaps include a spray bottle to help you preserve that precious water to sand ratio, that allows us to create the perfect sand castle, we are more than sure that you and your loved ones will always remember that perfect White Sand Castle you created in Cancun that one time.