Oooh... Oobleck!

Do you and your kids want to banish cabin fever and spend an amusing hour in the kitchen that won't leave you with a pan of brownies to devour at 10pm? I do. We've made too, too many sweets this winter!

Luckily, google brings up a plethora of kitchen science experiments with a mere touch of a button. Do you own baking soda? Vinegar? Corn starch? Food coloring? Then you probably have a hundred different sciencey options for entertainment.


Oobleck is our favorite so far. This mysterious goo, created by mixing one part water to one and a half or two parts corn starch for ten minutes, was featured in Dr. Seuss's book Bartholemew and the Oobleck. In the book, reportedly, the oobleck rains down messy havoc on a kingdom.

We did not have the book. So as the girls mixed the goo, I told them my own version of the tale, conjuring up our favorite stand-by characters, Cuddles the Dragon and his best friend Art.

By the time Cuddles and Art had rescued their family from the sticky oobleck, the goo was activated.


If you punch it, it's a solid. If you lay your hands on it, they sink through it as if it's a liquid. If you squeeze it, it's a solid ball. Let go, and it oozes out like a liquid.


We kept a cup of water and some extra cornstarch in bowls on the table. As the oobleck became overworked and too solid, Maya added water to continue the fun. If she added too much water, a little cornstarch firmed it up.


This was the perfect hands on, messy, hilarious project for a snowy day. That is, a snowy day when dad is not home. We got oobleck EVERYWHERE! Thank goodness Elle likes to mop!