How to make Oobleck Recipe for Sensory Play and Hands-On Learning - Kid Activities with Alexa (2024)

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Oobleck is a super cool science experiment that both kids and adults absolutely love. It’s a weird substance that when you grab it is solid but when you let it go, it falls out like a liquid. After testing many variations of this recipe, I finally got the correct ration to get perfect Oobleck every time! ‘

Follow along, print the recipe and I’ll even show you how to make it and how I set it up for playtime. By the time you read this post, you will have all the tools needed to set up a successful oobleck activity at home or at school.

Shopping List

To make oobleck you are going to need

• Cornstartch (we used this corstarch one available at Amazon)
• Food coloring (I love this brand for the price, quality and variety of colors)
• Water

Sensory play can be a lot of fun and it offers a lot of educational opportunities for your little ones. Oobleck Recipe is a fun way to explore sensory play.

During the fall season, we are always looking for ideas to do at home or at the park with our friends that can offer some educational opportunities.

Last week, I hosted an event with the local mamas and shared with them the opportunity to teach their little ones through play as a demo to my new sensory classes.

We explored the theme apples and we made oobleck as I called the event “messy play apple pie”. I have also made this activity with a melted pumpkin theme and an ocean theme. Follow along so you can get inspired!

I’m totally obsessed with this Oobleck Recipe and I want to share with you how to make it.

“Oobleck is a non-newtonian fluid. That is, 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. Make enough of this oobleck recipe and you can even walk on it!”

Instructables.com

HOW TO MAKE oOBLECK RECIPE

Grab a sensory bin, add two parts cornstarch to one part water. Mix and enjoy!

looking to make Oobleck with flour? scroll down and I’ll let you know how to do it. For now, let’s get started making oobleck with cornstarch.

How to clean up Oobleck?

Do not – I repeat – do not throw this down the drain when you are done. It can clock your drain!! Instead, throw away the loose water in the drain as you have your water turned on. The rest (the cornstarch) can be scraped off and thrown in a trash can.

Can You Make Oobleck with Flour?

You definitely can make oobleck with flour. But not just regular flour. You need flours that have starch as that is the component that will make a Newtonian fluids.

You need to look for cornflour and add equal parts cornflour to hot water. (Note: cornflour and corn flour are different. Make sure you get the first one)

Tomake oobleck without cornstarch, mix together 1 part room-temperature water with 2 parts arrowroot powder or tapioca flour.

Expand learning with themed Activities

A word on Sensory play

Sensory play is super important for little ones to explore. Just make sure you prepare the area first so that clean us is easier on you! Have a disposable table cover underneath your bin and throw it out after. Wash any clothes immediately as the oobleck will stick to clothing.

Oobleck as Toddler Science Experiment

Oobleck can be used to teach science, after all what happens with this liquid – or solid- is a chemical reaction. We certainly did over on our science week and since this fell over in October we mixed with Halloween. The result? A melted pumpkin!

using the Oobleck Recipe For Play

Obleck is a great sensory material to play you can create a sensory bin and give your little ones spoons, and cups to explore or just let them explore with their hands. You can even freeze it and make an ice cream dough activity!

Oobleck for Toddler Learning

I always love to create our toddler events around something to learn about. Oobleck recipe has a lot of teachings on its own as toddler’s very first science experiment, but to make it more conceptual, we used the opportunity to talk about apples. After all, we called our event MESSY APPLE PIE!

We worked on learning about a fruit we see everywhere during this time of year: Apples. What colors they are, how they feel, how they smell, how they taste.

This apple sensory activity allowed us to work on:

• Language development and vocabulary (we practice how to say a- a- apple)
• Messy Play and its importance for babies and toddlers
• An opportunity to play and bond with your little one as moms let loose in a messy controlled environment.

During the event, we did two apple-themed messy activities to explore different textures. We worked with red-colored oatmeal and green Oobleck. Both, a representation of our red apples and green apples.

Buy Ready to use Oobleck

Want to save time? you can buy Jell-O unicorn slime. Well, you need to add extra water to the recipe calls for. This behaves like cornstarch and it smells AMAZING! but a word of warning, this has sugar so it is more sticky than if you use cornstarch with water.

More Toddler Ideas…

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