DIY Oobleck is a Fun Kids Science Experiment

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diy oobleck in 2 bowls

Looking for a unique kids activity to keep them busy and entertained?

Try creating some gooey Oobleck as a classic science experience. In fact, your kids may have already made this at school, but it’s also a fascinating at-home activity for all ages.

Oobleck is affectionately named after the substance that fell from the sky in the Dr. Seuss story Bartholomew and the Oobleck and is a mixture of just cornstarch and water.

Playing with pink Oobleck

Curious about the science behind Oobleck? 

According to Instructables.com, “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 Oobleck and you can even walk on it! 😱

bowl of Oobleck as a solid

Hip DIY Tips:

    • When making, start by adding about 1.5 cups of cornstarch first, then add 1/2 cup more as needed.
    • Oobleck is a fun, yet messy activity! However, just washing your hands and bowls with warm water will work. Just make sure it doesn’t get on the couch or carpet. You may want to even cover the floor or countertop where you’re doing this with a plastic trash bag or tablecloth for easy clean-up.
    • You can store Oobleck in a covered container and play with it again. If left out, it will just dry up.
    • Never toss an entire batch of Oobleck into the sink as a large amount can clog the drain. Simply throw Oobleck in the trash when done. I found it easiest to tip over the bowl in the trash and let it ooze out slowly, rather than trying to dig it out all at once.

spoonful of cornstarch for Oobleck


DIY Oobleck

Print

Supplies Needed

Directions

1

In a bowl, add water. If using food coloring or paint, add into the water and stir.

2

Stir water and 1.5 cups of cornstarch together in a bowl. Add additional 1/2 cup of cornstarch if it’s still too watery.

3

Use your hands to finish combining the mixture until the texture is solid. Then if you grab it, it should run down your hands, changing the state of consistency as it’s played with. Have fun and enjoy!


easy Oobleck in pink

Once you are done making Oobleck, have fun playing with it, and testing what it can do! 

Jab at it using your fingers or a fist while it fills the bottom of a bowl and see how hard it feels. Then make a ball and squeeze to see it gush out like a liquid. I have to admit, even I had fun playing with Oobleck! It looks cool when you combine colors also.

glowing Oobleck in a bowl

Glow & Flow Fun! 

So our glow in the dark painted batch of Oobleck didn’t glow super great on its own, but looked really cool when using a black light to shine on it! Overall this is a fun activity to consider. My kids are older and still enjoyed it!

2 kids playing with Oobleck


Here are 21 other fun things to do at home with the kids!


About the writer:

Lina has a Bachelor's Degree from Northern Arizona University with 11 years of blogging and photography experience having work featured in Today.com, Martha Stewart, Country Living, Fox News, Buzzfeed, and HGTV.


Join The Discussion

Comments 25

  1. ASHLEY

    warning- this is not the easiest to clean up, we made it at the preschool I work at

    • Lina D (Hip2Save Sidekick)

      It does leave a certain film of cornstarch LOL if lots of spills – But maybe use a drop cloth or plastic table cloth? 🙂

    • Scarlett

      That’s unfortunate! Weird. I found this remarkably easy to clean up. Especially, if dropped on carpet.

  2. Penny

    I took one look at those hands and said, “NOPE!”

    • Briana

      Lol me too. Started feeling panicky. 😆

  3. Rebecca

    We’ve made this before (without food coloring) and it’s really fun. More fun than slime & fairly easy cleanup, in my opinion. Comes easily off hands & hard surfaces.

  4. cbakerd3

    Hmmm maybe we’ll try this outside tomorrow 🤣🤣 the control freak in me is going to have a hard time watching my daughter with this indoors. Thanks for the idea!

    • Lina D (Hip2Save Sidekick)

      Sure – yep I understand! Ha

  5. Tricia

    We did this once and my son loved it! He played with it for hours. Not that bad to clean up either.

    • Lina D (Hip2Save Sidekick)

      Thanks Tricia!

  6. Neeka

    My kiddos loved this! Thank you for posting it

    • Lina D (Hip2Save Sidekick)

      Oh good! Sure- thanks for coming back to let us know 💕

  7. Rhonda

    Make two bowls and take it outside and let the kids race to see who can carry the most in their hands and fill another container about 15 feet away. Make sure it’s far enough so it will start running from their hands. It’s hilarious if they don’t know what is about to happen.

    • Darla

      You are so right! We do this every year at our Halloween party – a relay race for the kids. It runs through their fingers so they have to try to catch it with the other hand. It’s so fun to see how much actually makes it to the bowls at the end,

  8. Em

    We love oobleck! One of my kids’ favorites. They will sit and play with it for hours at a time. So much fun!

    • Lina D (Hip2Save Sidekick)

      Oh fun I’m glad they enjoy it!

  9. Katie

    I think I’ll wait until my kids are older and can helps with the crazy mess. Sounds so intriguing.

    • Lina D (Hip2Save Sidekick)

      Ya it’s fun to try at least once. 👏ha

  10. MommySpendsLess

    Pre-Covid, our local science center had a Mess Fest and I lost my mind 🙂 and took my daughter and one of her friends. At one of the stations they had two plastic kiddie pools full of it, thankfully sans food coloring. Everything was a mess, kids included. But it is a really cool substance (check out a video of how it reacts when place on a speaker) and if you don’t dye it it’s relatively clean-up-able and it’s safe.

  11. 3Peas

    I remember reading this book and making oobleck in 1st grade (many moons ago!) And we put it into an individual baggie for each kiddo so it was less mess!

    • Lina D (Hip2Save Sidekick)

      Oh great idea – thanks for sharing!

  12. Brit

    That’s awesome 😎 I am inspired to print off a “recipe” for this, add a container of cornstarch + glitter and see if I can find some used versions of this Dr. Seuss book for a Little Library bag. So if you have a Little Library in your area, you can make a bag too. Just add an inexpensive craft that ties in with one of your used books or even a Dollar Tree new book (can be art, music or cooking themes) place in gallon size plastic bag and provide recipe or instruction card along with the book. I am a single parent and this is an inexpensive way for us to help other kids in the community and more fun than only dropping off/returning the books. 😀 Thanks for the post💞

    • Lina D (Hip2Save Sidekick)

      Wow so awesome! Thanks for sharing!

  13. Tilly

    Once you are done with the Oobleck, lay the container open and let it dry in the sun. These are the same ingredients as Holi powder. After the oobleck is dry, crumble it and then put it through a food processor or a blender and enjoy a color war.

  14. Scarlett

    This fun experiment is also a quick/drying and easy way to coat a cardboard cut-out or mold something. I made dinosaur cut-out targets to hit with water balloons. It’s was neat to see the product run once hit. Adding some some baking soda to the oobleck and filling the water balloons with lemon/white vinegar is also a great experience.

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