Oobleck - Carnegie Science Center

Oobleck
Oobleck is a non-Newtonian fluid, which means that it doesn’t behave the way most liquids behave. It has only
two ingredients, both of which are found in your kitchen, it’s safe to touch, and it’s super fun! While investigating
this sensory substance, your students are sharpening their observing, question-asking, and predicting skills.
Before the activity...
• Review with students your classroom rules for working with messy substances. Oobleck works best on an open
tabletop rather than in trays or bowls, use a tablecloth only if necessary. Though messy, oobleck does not stick or
stain, and cleanup is easy. Prepare a bucket of water so that students may help clean.
• Before beginning to explore with students, prepare a mixture of oobleck to use. Students can also mix their own,
but will be more enthusiastic about doing so if they can experience oobleck’s strange properties beforehand. A
general oobleck recipe is one part cornstarch to one part water (1:1), and is adjustable up to 2 parts cornstarch (2:1).
Supplies
• Water (warmer water makes mixing easier.)
• Cornstarch
• Measuring cups
• Bowl
• Optional: food coloring, Popsicle sticks, manipulatives (cookie cutters, spatulas, funnels, bowls), scientific
method chart (Ask a question! Make a prediction! Try an Experiment! Explain what happened!)
Procedure
• If desired, display your scientific method chart, including questions you plan to ask students. You may also want to
record students’ questions throughout the activity.
• Divide students into groups, each facilitated by an adult if possible.
• Give each group a bowl of oobleck to pour directly onto the table. Students may touch the oobleck with their hands,
push it, slap it, and pick it up. By moving very quickly, students can roll the oobleck into a seemingly solid ball. When
they stop rolling, the oobleck will pour from their hands as a liquid.
• Students who do not wish to touch the oobleck may like to use Popsicle sticks to manipulate it.
• When finished with your oobleck, throw it into a garbage can as opposed to pouring down the drain- it can clog pipes.
Inquiry based questions
As students explore their oobleck, guide their curiosity by asking open-ended questions that cannot be answered with
one-word answers. To develop questions, try the activity yourself before trying with students. What questions do you
have? Consider collaborating with another teacher.
• What will happen if we mix a solid (cornstarch) with a liquid (water)?
• What does this powder remind you of?
• What does the cornstarch feel like? What does it smell like?
• What happens when we move/squish the oobleck quickly?
• What happens when we move/squish the oobleck slowly?
• Can you keep the oobleck in one place? What do you notice about it?
• Can you tell me about what the oobleck is doing?
Extension activities
• Students may like to investigate the behavior of other liquids and powdery solids. Examples might be salt or sugar
and water, vinegar and baking soda, water and powdered tempera, milk and instant pudding, water and gelatin,
water with yeast and sugar, etc. Students will find that some solids dissolve in water, some mixtures leave crystals
behind if the water evaporates, some change in cold temperatures, and some become bubbly or foamy!
• If you feel you can do so safely, students may be interested in observing the process of the oobleck growing mold.
Oobleck will become moldy after one to two weeks if left in room temperature conditions. Transfer your oobleck to
a clear, covered container, or to a secure outside space. Once moldy, do not touch or smell the oobleck, and discard
when students are finished observing.
Provided by:
Oobleck (cont. )
Resources
Books:
Bartholomew and the Oobleck by Dr. Seuss
Solids, Liquids, and Gases by Ginger Garrett
Super Science Concoctions by Jill Frankel Hauser
Websites:
You can find several videos of people walking across pools of oobleck by searching “oobleck” from any search engine.
http://www.exploratorium.edu/science_explorer/ooze.html
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