This experiment is fun and hands-on, but it can get a little messy. It is one of my favorite science experiments, but you will probably want to wear clothes that can get a little sticky while you’re having fun.
What you need:
- 1 cup water
- 1.5-2 cups cornstarch
- Food coloring (optional)
Steps:
- Pour the water into a bowl (you can add the optional food coloring in now and mix it with the water or save this step for later if you want a challenge)
- Mix the cornstarch with the water 1/2 cup at a time (once you get close to 1.5 cups of cornstarch, it may be easier to mix with your hands)
- Once you get to the desired consistency (liquid when untouched but solid when squeezed), stop adding cornstarch
- Now you have oobleck!
- If you did not add in food coloring in the beginning, you can now add it to the oobleck and try to mix it using your hands
- For extra fun, you can make different colors of oobleck and try to mix them together using a toothpick to create fun designs
What gives oobleck such a weird consistency?
Oobleck is a non-newtonian fluid. This means it acts like a liquid when being poured, but like a solid when a force is acting on it. You can grab it and then it will ooze out of your hands. When you mix cornstarch into water, the cornstarch grains become suspended in the liquid. When you apply pressure to the oobleck, the cornstarch particles get mashed together, trapping water molecules between them, and oobleck temporarily turns into a semi-solid material.