In our newsletter this month, we featured a recipe for Oobleck, that fluid-not a fluid substance written about by Dr. Seuss in Bartholomew and the Oobleck.  Okay, so the recipe wasn’t for exactly the same thing that Dr. Seuss wrote about, but it’s a close second.

Oobleck is actually a non-Newtonian fluid.  That’s a fancy way of saying that it doesn’t obey the laws of physics.  From a parental standpoint, though, it’s a way to create a learning moment with your kids, and have some fun along the way.

If you’ve never made Oobleck before, you might be surprised at the recipe: 1 c. water and 1 1/2 c. corn starch.  Slowly add the cornstarch to the water, mixing with each addition, until you get the desired consistency.  Then add a couple drops of food coloring for added dazzle.

Sound an awful lot like what Grandma used to mix to add to the turkey drippings to make gravy? Minus the food coloring of course.  Well, you’re right.  You can also use this mixture for that purpose, just maybe not so much of it.  I bet you never knew that playing in the kitchen with the kids could lead to learning how to cook.

To really get into learning mode, try these suggestions from Instructables:

• Grab a handful, squeeze it, and let it ooze out your fingers.
• Make a puddle and quickly drag your fingers through it.
• Put it into a plastic container and shake it or quickly bump it against a table.
• Jab at the Oobleck and then slowly let your finger sink in.
• Put it on top of a subwoofer and play some low frequencies at high volume (tough to set up, but worth it)

Have fun with your kids this National Kids Day.  Play with some Oobleck, and watch what they learn when they don’t even realize it!

Tags: Children

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 29th, 2009 at 3:26 pm and is filed under Kids Protection Plan. Follow comments to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.