There's been more
kitchen science than usual going on around here. I blame the nasty weather and Westley's sudden interest in "doing science." I think it started in earnest at the Seattle Aquarium on New Year's day. The aquarists did a side-by-side dissection of a rockfish and a salmon to show the differences between the two. Afterwards, children (and adults) were invited to don a latex glove and inspect the fish and their organs. Westley was the first child to touch the fish innards and the last to leave.
This week I decided to introduce something a little easier (and more vegan) that I really enjoyed playing with in preschool: oobleck.
If you've never made oobleck, or even if you have, and you have cornstarch in your pantry, I suggest you whip up a batch of this stuff as soon as possible. It's easier and (in my opinion) more fun than homemade play-dough, and it's really cool.
Oobleck is simply 1 part water to 1.5-2 parts corn starch. Food coloring is optional, but a fun addition. I mixed up four little bowls of oobleck and let Westley choose the colors. We moved our "kitchen science" to the bathroom, so Westley could paint his masterpiece in non-Newtonian fluid.
We followed up this art-and-science project with a nice long bubble bath. Fun afternoon indoors, QED.
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3 comments:
I love these pictures! So fun to see pretty pastels on a gray day. I've been debating making play dough with peanut butter and powdered sugar but it seems expensive so maybe I'll give this a try.
I love oobleck! It's so neat. I'd never heard of it until I saw the "dancing oobleck" video on youtube (check it out if you haven't seen it) last year. Awesomeness.
Oo! Oo! Try the disappearing glass experiment next! That one is always fun! My mom used to do that one with her kindergarten students. It's like magic; except it's science!
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