Two kitchen ingredients and you have an awesome Earth Day science activity your kids will love. Ooblek is a fun and frugal science activity that is easy to set up at home or in a classroom. Learn all about non-Newtonian fluids and engage in some very cool sensory play too! Earth Day themed activities perfect for young kids
Combine science and sensory play together! Our quick and easy oobleck is perfect for preschoolers for Earth Day. Make oobleck in the colors of the Earth, and open up some dialogue about the importance of Earth Day.
TIP: Check out more fun and easy Earth Day activities for preschoolers!
What is oobleck? Oobleck is a mixture of cornstarch and water, and is sometimes referred to as goop. Roughly a 2:1 ratio but you can tinker with the ratio to find the desired consistency that still maintains the properties of oobleck. Make sure to read and share about the science of oobleck below.
Earth Day Oobleck Recipe
Supplies:
- Cornstarch
- Water
- Food Coloring
- Bowl and spoon
- Tray or pie dish
- Skewers or toothpicks or even little trucks!
Instructions:
STEP 1. To start our Earth Day oobleck activity, I mixed up two batches of plain white oobleck. You will need about a cup of cornstarch to 1/2 a cup of water.
STEP 2. Mix the food coloring into the water before pouring it into the cornstarch. You can see and feel the right consistency. It will be tough to mix like a solid but then starts to flow into a liquid.
Check out our how to make colored oobleck post for more details on mixing oobleck!
STEP 3. Add the two colors of oobleck to your pie plate to represent the water and the land for the Earth. Add in accessories for play.
My son chose his construction vehicle utensils to play with the Earth goop. I thought some shells and rocks would be fun to add for both the Earth Day and the construction theme!
The Science of Oobleck
Well, it’s solid. No, wait it’s a liquid! It can be picked up in a chunk like a solid, but then it takes the shape of the container it’s put in like a liquid. This is called a non-Newtonian fluid, a substance that acts like both a liquid and a solid.
My son asked if the oobleck was both a solid and a liquid. I demonstrated how you could pick it up like a solid, but it also takes the shape of the plate when you put it back down. I love how much he remembers from our science experiments!
Slime is another good example of a non-Newtonian fluid. Check out our post on non-Newtonian fluids to learn more!
Ask Questions To Extend The Learning
This Earth Day Oobleck science activity is perfect for talking about the Planet.
Ask questions while you sit with your child or play with your child. We talked all about Earth Day. I asked him questions to see what he thought the meaning of Earth Day is, what things can be recycled, what can we do to help the Earth, and so much more.
As for the goop or oobleck, ask questions too! What do you see, what do you feel, what do you think will happen if? You can totally experiment with adding more water or adding more cornstarch to peak curiosity.
Additionally, you could draw/color what your Earth Day oobleck looks like when you are finished playing.
More Fun Earth Day Activities For Young Kids
Printable Earth Day STEM Activities Pack
Celebrate Earth Day with STEM! 220+ Pages of Earth Day science activities and STEM projects for kids that are easy to set up and fit into your available time, even if it’s limited!
STEAM Mini Pack added three hands-on activities for acid rain, stormwater runoff, and carbon footprints!
- Printable Earth Day theme STEM activities that are simple but engaging for home or classroom. Perfect for K-3/4 and beyond but easily adaptable to many skill levels.
- Dive into simple background science explanations to share with kids while they explore hands-on and playful experiments, projects, and activities such as cleaning up oil spills, exploring water filters, and more!
- Engaging Earth Day Engineers pack with theme activities, journal pages, and design process steps! Learn about the design process and think like an engineer while you design and build a better recycling can and more!
- Easy to gather supplies makes these STEM activities ideal when you have limited resources available. Specialty activities include growing a grass head, making an insect hotel, DIY birdseed ornaments, and more!
- Additional STEM activities also Include a recycle sort, brick building ideas, puzzles, and screen-free coding activities.
- Earth Day Bingo Activity Pack is included as well.
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