Oh, the places you will go…making oobleck to celebrate Dr. Seuss’s Birthday and for just plain FUN anytime. Kids will love this goo that acts as a solid and a liquid.
If your kids love gooey fun you will want to try these best slime recipes. I show you exactly how to make slime.
Oobleck
This stuff is amazing. My boys (okay and me too) were totally taken with this goo. Oobleck defies Newton’s third law of motion–for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. It is a science lesson that is a lot of fun! If you quickly smack it with your hand it immediately turns into a solid, instead of splashing or moving. If you slowly move it with your hands it reacts like a liquid. Cool!
How to make Oobleck
If you are wondering how to make oobleck it is SUPER easy. You only need two ingredients (three if you want it colored). Such a simple recipe for so much fun.
Needless to say, our oobleck took a lot of fist smacking! Our kitchen was filled with lots of “Wow,” “Cool,” wide eyes of amazement and much laughter!”
Everybody had a handful (or two) of fun, and we even had some great conversation about science. “Is the oobleck solid? Is it a liquid? Is it a solid-liquid?”
Whipping up a batch of this stuff is a great way to learn while having lots of fun! Please read the comments on this post for the scientific explanation of what is happening.
What is Oobleck made out of?
Oobleck is made of:
- cornstarch
- water
- food coloring
It couldn’t be any easier to make this science experiment you only need cornstarch and water. We made ours with 2 cups of cornstarch and 1 cup water. You can make your Newtonian fluid (or is oobleck a non newtonian fluid you can decide for yourself after reading all of the comments) any color you like, just add food coloring. Can you make oobleck with flour instead of cornstarch? No. Instead of turning into oobleck, flour mixed with water makes a dough.
Oobleck Recipe
You will find this oobleck recipe is mesmerizing and will keep kids engaged for a long time. When they slowly grab a handful of the green substance it will ooze through their fingers and then they will notice by quickly applying pressure to the mixture it feels solid.
Another big bonus is oobleck gets kids interested in Science and how things work.
Oobleck Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups cornstarch
- 1 cup water
- food coloring optional
Instructions
- To make your own oobleck mix 2 cups of cornstarch and 1 cup water in a bowl. If you want to color your oobleck like we did, add a few drops of food coloring to the water before adding to the cornstarch. It took some effort to mix the water and cornstarch. Try it out (hit it with your fist and pour it off a spoon to see if it works) before you give into the urge to add more water to make it easier to mix. We played with our science experiment all afternoon, and when the kids weren't playing with it I covered it with plastic wrap.
Notes
Be sure to read about oobleck with Dr. Seuss book Bartholomew and the Oobleck! You might also like these inspirational Dr. Seuss Quotes.
Too Cool! Really, you must give it a try! After your kids are done with this science project get them hooked on slime and kinetic sand (moon sand)? Slime or Gak is another fun goo your kids will love. See how we make super safe slime, two-ingredient slime safe slime and don’t miss all these amazing slime recipes (who has ever heard of magnetic slime!)
Remember after playing with oobleck, slime or kinetic sand washing hands is a must!
Celebrate Dr. Seuss Birthday
How do you celebrate Dr. Seuss Birthday? Do you start the day off with green eggs and ham? Do you read your favorite Dr. Seuss book–or is it just too hard to choose only ONE favorite book?!? Here are some great ideas from our readers:
- “Oobleck is only one of the names for this crazy stuff. When I taught Preschool, I would make this with my class again and again. We called it MAGIC MUD. I would send the recipe home so that the parents could make it and the best part was that if it got on the carpet or clothes, you just let it dry completely and then sweep/vacuum or throw in the washer. I also used this with the very little ones ( 1-2 yr olds) since it was safe for them to put in their mouths.
- It is also called QUICKSAND and all you do is make it a tad thinner and then do a lesson around how quicksand works in real life.” ~Robbin
- “I read “Bartholomew and the Oobleck” and brought it to my son’s 2nd-grade class. I do every year on Dr. Seuss day. It never gets old, the kids LOVE it. ~Laura
- “I make this with my students every year for our final solids/liquids unit lesson.
Try mixing it in a heavy-duty Ziploc bag – it is easy to “smoosh” the bag, rather than mix the oobleck with a spoon. Also, add the water to the cornstarch slowly – if you go overboard, you will have a watery mess, rather than Oobleck!” ~MichelleRemember after playing with oobleck, slime, and kinetic sand
Be sure to let me know what you think! I hope you keep coming back for more fun things to do with kids! If gooey slimy things are what your kids like you will want to show them how to make slime after making oobleck.
Here is something really cool and fun- take an old speaker (the huge kind) and pull the cover off so the little funnel is visible. cover securely with plastic wrap (not tightly, just completely) secure with duct tape. NOw plug it in to your stereo, lay it flat on it’s back, and fill the little funnel with oobleck. Turn the music on (something with a lot of bass) and watch your oobleck dance!
Valarie
I used to make this in my daycare class. I loved it because it was an activity that I could combine with a book, therefore making reading come alive. The other neat thing that I saw, was a scientist or product reviewer on a talk show, who made an entire batch of this stuff (enough to fill the bath tub that they created it in). They allowed several audience members to run across the substance. They were “walking on water”.
I LOVE this stuff. I can’t decide on what color to make it… Pink, or orange? Or blue? Maybe green… Turquoise? *shrugs* Purple. Hmmm… I think I’ll do purple. That sounds fine. Nah, I’ll just ask my sister which one to do.
That thing is awsome the first time i did it was at school two days before Dr. Seuss’s B-day.Everybody asked for the recipe.
i can’t wait to see my kids face when she trys this 😀
My daughter is having her first sleepover for her birthday. She will be turning 9 years old)My daughter is having 10 girls over(not including her and her sister) The theme is Hello Kitty. The times will be from fri. 6pm – 10am sat.
Am I crazy to have agreed to this . I have no ideas and I am usually very creative. I am an artist and I was an art teacher. I love kids but I do not know how to fill the time or make it fun.
My daughter is like Martha Stewart Jr. she thinks she has all the plans . I need some good sleepover/Hello Kitty ideas. Do you have any?
Heather Doub
THIS WAS ONE OF THE CRAFTS MYMOM TAUGHT ME OVER 13 YRS AGO, ITS A SURE WAY TO INTEREST KIDS.
Thanks for the recipe. 3 drops of red food coloring is plenty to make the substance pink (my daughter’s FAVORITE color).
I had a blast with it!!!
I love making this with kids! We add dinosaurs and other toys that don’t have moving parts and pretend that they are in a swamp or quick sand. You can put it in plastic shoe box or something with a little more room.
Excellent! This is neat-o. Thank you so much for putting this up. I am going to measure out 1/2 portions, with directions, and give them to my daughter’s pre-school class for St. Patrick’s Day. A cool alternative to candy!
Just being a nerd – the adjective to describe the way the cornstarch mix is behaving is “thixotropic”
Love the website by the way. I’m a knitter (in the UK), getting back into sewing, and have been looking at some fab ideas on blogs! I’ve bookmarked yours!!!!
no way!! I have an ancient childhood memory of seeing this on some kid’s science show. I was just telling my husband about it about 2 weeks ago – how there was this amzing liquid that was solid when you hit it!! I never knew what the stuff was made of (and never thought to look it up).
ahhhhhh…
this has been a favorite at our house as well…
we once made a huge batch of it outside
in our sand and water table
and just let the kids go…
great fun…
🙂
That is so neat. Thanks!
We love that stuff at our house. The first time I made it, I added too much fod coloring, and our hands were blue for quite a while.