Make Oobleck With Christmas Peppermints

Christmas is an excellent time of the year to put a little twist on classic science and sensory activities for kids. Like this peppermint oobleck! Oobleck or goop is perfect for simple science because it shows off the properties of a Non-Newtonian fluid. It acts both like a solid and a liquid. Make sure to add it to your Christmas activities list today!

Christmas Peppermint Oobleck Goop Science Candy Cane Activity

How To Make Peppermint Oobleck

Watch the video:

Supplies:

cornstarch
water
peppermints
tweezers, spoon
cookie sheet (we use the dollar store variety for projects!)

Instructions:

STEP 1. Mix up about a 1 cup of cornstarch and 1/2 cup of water!

You can adjust the ratios as needed, but this recipe is a general guideline. You can also make colored oobleck. However, the peppermints will give it a pretty color too!

STEP 2. Pour and spoon the oobleck onto a cookie sheet. Add your Christmas peppermints to the mixture.

STEP 3. Add a pair of tweezers, and play!

Plastic animals and LEGO men are fun too. Or use some natural elements like our evergreen oobleck!

Grab a pair of kids’ size tweezers and even the magnifying glass for up-close science observation.

Tweezers help ease his way into the oobleck and it was fun to pick up the peppermints and see the color each left behind. Also great fine motor practice for this young scientist. I like to encourage him to think like a scientist and really explore our experiments.

This can get as messy as you like it! Plus, this peppermint oobleck smells pretty amazing! Scented science is perfect for exploring with the 5 senses of the human body. This oobleck is great for sight, touch, smell, and of course, you can taste the peppermints beforehand!

The Science of Oobleck

Oobleck is a mixture of cornstarch and water. Roughly a 2:1 ratio but you can tinker with the ratio to find the desired consistency that still maintains the properties of oobleck.

Well, it’s a solid. No, wait it’s a liquid! Wait, it’s both! Very fascinating to be exact. Pick up solid chunks, pack the substance into a ball, and watch it ooze into a liquid. This is called a non-Newtonian liquid, a substance that acts like both a liquid and a solid. Read more here about non-Newtonian fluids here.