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Writer's pictureHannah Pierce

DIY Home Sensory Activity: Oobleck

Updated: Aug 3, 2021

OVERVIEW

Prep time: 2 minutes

Difficulty: Easy Peasy

Estimated Cost: 20 AED

Mess level:

Age: 2 plus


What you need

  • Corn Starch

  • Water

  • Food Dye

  • Storage Bin

Instructions


2 to 1 corn starch to water ratio. Oobleck, or sensory goop, is super easy to make and there’s a surprising number of fun ways you can learn from and play with it! it’s super easy and inexpensive to make. It’s also taste safe and non toxic, making it a great sensory play material for babies and toddlers. Add color to water Whisk the food coloring into the water so that it colors the oobleck evenly Add cornstarch Then stir in the cornstarch. Start with 1.5 cups and add more if it is too runny. That’s it!


Notes


Store air tight container in cool room for long lasting use.


Benefits:


Sometimes it acts like a solid. Sometimes it acts like a liquid. And, to add to the weirdness, oobleck acts differently from a normal liquid and differently from a normal solid. How is that possible? Oobleck is a non-Newtonian fluid, meaning it is a pressure-dependent substance. If you increase the pressure on the oobleck, it increases the viscosity or thickness. But if you poke at it quickly, it feels like a solid. And if you hold some in your hand, it will ooze out of your fingers like a liquid. (Just for reference, other non-Newtonian fluids include quicksand and Silly Putty).


Ways to adapt:


  • Play inside and outside, in small batches or large, play with it using hands, tools, and even feet.

  • Here’s how to make oobleck (it is super easy!) as well as some of the fun things to do with it. If you like, start by reading Bartholomew and the Oobleck by Dr. Seuss, the book that inspired this goop’s fun name.


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