Oobleck!

How to make oobleck!

But what is it? Oobleck is one of our favourite messy play materials at Little Learners and after making some of your own, we’re sure it will be one of yours too! This gloop is both liquid and solid (or a non-Newtonian fluid if you’d like to get technical) depending on how much pressure is applied to it… squeeze it and it’s as hard as a rock, or let go and watch it drip through your fingers. Kids and adults alike will be fascinated with oobleck… find out how to make your own below!

Why we use oobleck…

Oobleck is a wonderful tool for mark making! A tuff tray filled with oobleck allows children to make marks that slowly dissipate, encouraging them to repeat the same marks and build up hand strength, muscle memory and fine motor skills. Repetition is also one of the fundamental steps in developing early writing skills, helping children understand how marks translate to letters and therefore words.

Physiologically, it is important that children build up the muscles in their hands, arms and wrists. This is even more important when put into an educational context. Strong hand muscles mean a firmer and more controlled pen or pencil grip, easing the transition in to school and beyond. Actions like squeezing and scooping oobleck work these muscles, all whilst allowing play and creativity!

So how do I make it?

Oobleck is incredibly simple to make and is a great activity in it’s own right! Follow our tried and tested recipe below…

Ingredients/Materials:

• Cornflour
• Water
• Mixing Bowl & Spatula
• Tuff Tray
• Food Colouring (optional)

Instructions:

• Mix 2 parts cornflour to 1 part water (we use a cup or beaker to measure but you can make as much oobleck as you like by scaling up! Just make sure to keep the same ratio!) in your bowl.
• Add your food colouring.
• Stir this with your spatula or use your hands if you’d like to make this an activity in it’s own right. Children will love the task and the feeling of the sticky oobleck mixture on their hands.
• If you see any uncombined cornflour, simply add a little more water.
• Once mixed, pour the mixture in to a Tuff Tray (check out our affordable inflatable one HERE!) and decorate your tuff tray.
• Get messy!

Check out some other Gloopy Ideas HERE!