We love goo or oobleck at Science Sparks, its wonderful to touch and play with and I am always surprised at how it can feel solid one minute and liquid the next.
Today we made a Christmassy Candy Cane version.
How to make oobleck
- Cornflour
- Water
- Peppermint essence
- Red food colouring
Instructions
I made up two batches of goo, one just normally with the cornflour and a smaller amount to which I added red food colouring, then swirled them together with a very small amount of the peppermint essence.
To make the goo, pour some cornflour into a bowl and add cold water very slowly until you get the consistency you want.
The peppermint smell was lovely and definitely made us feel a little Christmassy.
Note. Be careful with the red food colouring, it might stain clothes.
The Science Part
Did you notice that if you make a ball with the goo it is solid, but if you drop it on the floor it turns liquid again? The goo is a non – Newtonian fluid as it doesn’t flow like liquids normally do.
Other Oobleck Recipes
Sugar Aunts
November 10, 2012 at 1:01 pmWhat a great idea, adding the peppermint. My kiddos love goo. We will have to add a scent!
Angela
November 18, 2012 at 11:08 amWe love making goo too never thought of adding essence, thank you for the tip 🙂
We have been trying to make slime with Borax but we have failed miserably a number of times, not sure what I’m doing wrong lol
Jill
November 19, 2012 at 12:05 amCorn flour? Or corn starch?
ScienceSparks
November 19, 2012 at 1:37 pmWe call it corn flour in the UK, possibly the same thing? 🙂
Deborah
November 25, 2012 at 4:51 pmCornstarch in the US and I love this idea!
Lauren
November 25, 2012 at 10:39 pmThat looks pretty cool. i know my son would love playing with this goo.
Pinkoddy
December 4, 2012 at 11:33 amThat is brilliant and I love the Science bit too.
Nicole
December 6, 2012 at 9:11 pmexactly how much of the ingredients do you use? 1 cup cornflour, 1 cup water? a few drops of peppermint essence? Or do I just play it by ear?
ScienceSparks
December 7, 2012 at 2:35 pmI just played it by ear. Just make sure you add the water slowly. Let us know how you get on.
Carrie
December 8, 2012 at 12:22 amOh, how fun!! I love the marblized colors and that you scent it. Thank you for sharing at Sharing Saturday!!
Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas
December 8, 2012 at 2:12 pmfeatured this on this week’s Sunday Showcase – thanks for sharing! This looks so fun. My girls love goo/goop
Sandra
December 9, 2012 at 6:14 pmThank you for this! My mom passed away and I was remembering she used to make this for us, but couldn’t remember how to make it. Now I can pass it on to MY kids!
Callen
August 20, 2016 at 1:48 amI would love to know how much of each ingredient especially the corn starch and water. I can figure out the flavorings.