Grumpy Dumpling: Why Oobleck is Awesome...

Have you ever made oobleck? If you haven’t, you should give it a try. It is AMAZING! I’m not joking…it will keep your kids busy for a long time and it will provide them with lots of learning opportunities. Even as an adult you might get hooked on it.

But first, here’s why oobleck is amazing:

it helps kids with fine-motor skill problems by providing them with hours of hands-on play;
it helps children develop scientific skills, such as measuring, observing and predicting;
it is sure to get children’s attention and keep them focused on one thing;
by involving the kids in the process of making oobleck, you teach them basic things about cooking, mixing ingredients, and being independent;
it teaches children about solids and liquids – depending on how much pressure you apply to oobleck, it changes between these two states of matter;
you might already have the ingredient(s) in your kitchen!

Before you prepare it, make sure you have a wet cloth to wipe surfaces with. Then you’ll need a large bowl to prepare it in and small plates for every child or a very large box (sensory table) for all of them. I suggest placing a table cloth on the floor to cover everything, so you’ll be able to enjoy playing with oobleck, rather than worrying about the mess.

The recipe is very easy to follow:

2 parts corn starch (or corn flour)
1 part water
Food colouring (optional)

We used 2 cups of corn starch and 1 cup of water to make oobleck for 5 children.

Tools and things you can use to make the experience more fun:

Measuring cups
Spoons and forks – try to take some on a spoon, then pour it in your hand;
Plastic knives – try to cut oobleck with a plastic knife, then hit it with the side of the knife or a spoon;
Small pots - you can even try boiling some oobleck or putting it in the freezer (let the kids predict what will happen to it)
Popsicle sticks
Toothpicks – poke it and see what happens
Sieve
Scoopers
Tweezers