Oobleck
Cornstarch and water: solid when you hit it, liquid when you don't.
- Ages
- 2–11 yrs
- Play
- 15–40 min
- Prep
- 5 min
- Mess
- messy
- Energy
- calm
- Where
- at the table
You’ll need
Things you probably have at home.
- cornstarchDon’t have it? Amazon
- water
- a bowl or trayDon’t have it? Amazon
Optional
- food coloringDon’t have it? Amazon
- spoons
- small figures to walk across itGet it on Amazon
How to play
Before you start: Mix two cups of cornstarch with roughly one cup of water. Add water slowly until it pours like honey but cracks when you tap it.
Let them punch the surface — it goes hard.
Let them rest a hand on it — it swallows their fingers.
Scoop a handful and squeeze it into a ball, then stop squeezing and watch it run away.
Drag a spoon through slowly, then fast, and compare.
Try walking a small figure across the top without it sinking.
What it helps with
Keep it safe
- Non-toxic but unpleasant to eat. Keep it off faces.
- Cornstarch makes floors lethally slippery — work over a towel.
Make it different next time
- Split it into bowls and color each one differently.
- Pour it slowly from a height and watch the ribbon.
Cleanup: Let it dry and it sweeps up as powder. Do not pour it down the sink — it sets in the pipes.
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- food coloring or paint
- a bath or a big tray