Oobleck behaves like a solid OR a liquid, which equals messy play fun for all!
My kids LOVE messy play! During our Letter of the Week Curriculum, it was the thing my girls always looked forward to the most! While studying the letter G, we made green “goop” and it set the bar for all future sensory play. And this method makes the best oobleck recipe.
To keep with the G theme, I told the girls it was green goop, but it was really oobleck! Oobleck is what they call a non-Newtonian fluid because is a fluid that does not follow Newton’s Law of Viscosity. “Oobleck is a suspension of cornstarch and water that can behave like a solid or a liquid depending on how much pressure you apply.”
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Check out this book for more ideas!
This simple science lesson will provide hours of fun for your kids. The recipe includes common household items, and is so simple it comes together in minutes. But the biggest thing you need to make oobleck is to not mind a mess.
And you can expand your lesson to include the Dr. Seuss book Bartholomew and the Oobleck.
The Best Oobleck Recipe
To make oobleck, first you simply mix a half of cup of corn starch with a quarter cup of water. I recommend purchasing corn starch in bulk if your family enjoys messy play.
Then add some green food coloring, (I recommend these) to keep with the G theme. (The food coloring did tint their hands a little but it was gone after bath time.)
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The girls were a little confused at first.
Is it a solid or a liquid?
After awhile, they dug right in! Our pyrex mixing bowls worked great for these!
This is their favorite sensory play activity. Check out this book for more ideas! It kept them occupied for at least an hour. They played with it so long that the oobleck dried out!! The only thing I would do differently is put some newspaper under their bowls. They don’t call it messy play for nothing. The first time we did this activity Harley was 5 and Bear was 3, so this activity is perfect for preschoolers!
RELATED READS:
- Books and Activities for the Letter G
- 15 Kid-approved Sensory Play Activities
- 10 Letter Activities for Preschoolers
