Two kitchen ingredients and you have an awesome Earth Day oobleck science activities 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

EARTH DAY OOBLECK SCIENCE ACTIVITY FOR KIDS

Science and sensory play together! Our quick and easy oobleck is perfect for Earth Day science and sensory play. This Earth Day oobleck is fun science! Here’s how to make Earth Day oobleck and open up some dialogue about the importance of Earth Day.  Make sure to check out our colorful oobleck sensory science play too for a different take on the classic science experiment.

EARTH DAY OOBLECK SCIENCE AND SENSORY PLAY ACTIVITY

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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. Oobleck is often referred to as goop.

WHAT’S THE SCIENCE BEHIND EARTH DAY 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. Check out our post on Non-newtonian fluids for more!

SUPPLIES

Cornstarch, Water, Food Coloring, Bowl and spoon, tray or pie dish, skewers or toothpicks or even little trucks!

MIXING EARTH DAY OOBLECK

To start our Earth Day oobleck activity, I mixed up two batches of plain white oobleck. I used about a cup of cornstarch and 1/2 a cup of water.

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!

I emptied the two colors of oobleck into a pie plate to represent the Earth. He 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!

Our Earth Day Oobleck science became a construction sensory play activity as well as a science activity! Young kids really love playful learning opportunities, and there is nothing wrong with setting up these super simple science recipes for kids to explore.

He 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!

 

Sensory play can also open up great conversation opportunities!

 Earth Day Oobleck science activity is perfect for talking about the Planet.

ASK QUESTIONS TO EXTEND THE LEARNING

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. I love this Earth Day science craft or you can make Earth Day play dough!

EARTH DAY OOBLECK IS SIMPLE SCIENCE FOR KIDS!

Click on the pictures below for more awesome ideas for science and sensory play.

 

Looking for easy to print activities, and inexpensive problem-based challenges? 

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