dr. seuss’ oobleck recipe and the science of it!

So last week was all about celebrating Dr. Seuss’ birthday.  I was teaching my children all about him about how he was such a great writer.  He inspired learning by the rhyming words in his books and his illustrations.  My children love watching his cartoon show on PBS  and also enjoy all his books!  So in honor of him, we made Oobleck from scratch.  Oobleck gets its name from Dr. Seuss’ book Bartholomew and the Oobleck, where the gooey green substance, Oobleck, fell from the sky and wreaked havoc in the kingdom.

What you will need:

• water
• cornstarch
• large bowl
• food coloring (I used green in honor of Dr. Seuss)

What to do:

1. Put 1 cup of water and 1 1/2 cups of cornstarch in the bowl and stir. Add food coloring.
2. Notice that the harder you try to stir, the more difficult stirring becomes. (Slowly add more cornstarch if the mixture is too thin).
3. Stop stirring and quickly poke the Oobleck with your finger. Notice that it feels solid.
4. Slowly dip a finger into the oobleck. Now it feels like liquid! (My children were fascinated on how the oobleck changed :))
5. Take some Oobleck and roll it into a ball. Keep rolling, because when you stop, it will melt before your eyes. (This can get messy, so have some paper towels handy).

Outcome of the project:

Making Oobleck teaches children how substances can act like a solid or a liquid.  It develops their motor skills by having them make and feel the substance.  This experiment also helps children learn how to measure, estimate, experiment and observe. It’s like a mini science project with lots of fun for younger children.  After we were done making the Oobleck, I asked my children these questions:

1. What did you learn from making Oobleck?

2. Is the Oobleck solid or liquid?

3. Why do you think it is gooey?

4. Did you like how the oobleck felt? Why?

5. What was the best part of making Oobleck?

* The answers can vary, but it all depends on the child’s age.  As long as they get an understanding of solid and liquid, it shows that they understood the concept.

Hope you have as much as fun as my kids and I did!  Would love to hear about your experience with your children!