Throwback Thursday - Magic Rocks

Do you remember Magic Rocks?   These were sold at dime stores and in the back of comic books.  I remember buying a set at a Stuckey's on vacation to Florida one year.  The toy I remember looks like the picture above.  Here is a picture of an earlier Magic Rocks set:

How they work: you get liquid sodium silicate and colorful rocks (actually metallic salts).  You put the rocks in a pretty glass container, and then the sodium silicate (mixed with water), and the rocks grow.  I googled and this simple science toy is still around!

I always liked these ... they reminded me a bit of stalagmites (I liked caves, too!) and also a bit of those color drip candles at Italian restaurants back in the day.

Here's a little minute and a half time lapse video:



Who remembers this science toy?  I'd love to hear from you in the comments, below.