Ooblek! (Recipe & Dr. Seuss Birthday!)

This super fun inspired-by-Dr. Seuss science activity is perfect for kids in preschool, kindergarten, and even grade school! 

To kick off Dr. Seuss' birthday in one week, we read Bartholomew and the Oobleck and (of course) made ourselves some Ooblek!  This ooblek is a sure crowd-pleaser...my 3-year old, 4-year old, and two 1-year olds absolutely loved it!  They had all sorts of ideas of ways to experiment with it, and I was happy to let them go wild.  Added perks: it's natural, easy to clean, and edible (if a bit nasty-tasting).  This was particularly important because I had two young toddlers today, and one of their favorite experiments is the taste test!

I also made up The Ooblek Song...if you're really lucky, I'll figure out how to turn it into a YouTube video before Dr. Seuss' Birthday!  I loved hearing all the little guys singing, "Ooblek, Ooblek, Ooblek..."{Update: You can see it now here! Be kind...it's my first attempt at anything like this!)

Oobleck Supplies:

• 1 pound corn starch (one small box)
• about 10 drops green food coloring
• about 1 1/2 cups water

The Quick and Easy How-To:

Pour water into a small bowl. Dump in the corn starch.  Add the food coloring.  Mix it with your hands!  You can easily halve or double this recipe.  Your child can play with it in the bowl or on the table.  As long as he is playing with it, it will stay solid. He can roll it into a ball or even smack it!  As soon as he stops playing with it, it will ooze out and away as a liquid.  Once it is left alone, it soon dries up and is easily dusted into a trash bin.

Note: Over time the cornstarch will separate out of the water and make solid clumps--it is best to throw the mixture away when you are done (not dump it down the sink).

If you do this with older children, it might be fun to tie a bit of the scientific explanation in to all the crazy experimenting!  Ooblek is a suspension (a liquid mixture that has particles large enough to eventually settle out of the mixture), just like quicksand or some paints.  When you roll it between your hands like a ball or slap it on the counter, the force from your hands or the counter presses long starch polymers together.  They trap the water and the suspension behaves like a solid.  When you stop applying force, the polymers relax, the water flows, and it behaves like a liquid. 

Tomorrow, I'm going to share some more ideas for Dr. Seuss's Birthday (March 2nd) for Sharing Saturday!

2016 UPDATE:  It's been four years, and this is still one of our favorite inspired-by-Dr. Seuss science activities!  But if you love Dr. Seuss books and science experiments, you should definitely check out my growing collection of inspired-by-Dr. Seuss Science Activities!  It's sorted by book and even includes some STEM projects!  You'll love it!

And if your kids are into science experiments, be sure to stop by my collection of almost 200 science experiments and activities!  There is something for everyone--preschoolers, older kids, and even grown-ups!!

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I may share at these parties!