It is Dr. Seuss week at school, and what better when to celebrate than by learning how to make oobleck from the book, “Bartholomew and the Oobleck.”
Today I am giving you all you need to know on how to make oobleck for Dr. Seuss’ Birthday week. It is Dr. Seuss week at school, so every day is a new dress theme with a new Dr. Seuss activity.
One of our personal favorite Dr. Seuss activities is making oobleck from the book, “Bartholomew and the Oobleck.” This is such a fun, engaging story as well, so I suggest reading the book before making the oobleck for the full Dr. Seuss experience. If you don’t already have the book, you can get it here.
“Won’t look like rain. Won’t look like snow.
Won’t look like fog. That’s all we know.
We just can’t tell you any more.
We’ve never made oobleck before.”
– Bartholomew and the Oobleck
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If you have never made oobleck before, then you need to try it because the consistency of this stuff is super crazy. It’s a liquid, but it’s a solid and all at the same time. If you apply a lot of pressure, it acts as a solid. But when applying light pressure, it acts as a liquid. You could even make a giant pool of this stuff and have the chance to “walk on water”. Just don’t stop or you’ll start to sink!!
Why does Oobleck behave the way it does?
The most generally accepted explanation for the behavior of Oobleck is offered by Cary Sneider in “Oobleck: What do Scientists Say?”. When sitting still, the granules of starch are surrounded by water. The surface tension of the water keeps it from completely flowing out of the spaces between the granules. The cushion of water provides quite a bit of lubrication and allows the granules to move freely. But, if the movement is abrupt, the water is squeezed out from between the granules and the friction between them increases rather dramatically.
Time to Learn How to Make Oobleck
You will need:
- Cornstarch
- Pitcher of Water
- Bowl or Container
- Measuring cups
- Mixing spoon
- Food coloring (optional) – Green food coloring if you are duplicating from Bartholomew and the Oobleck
How to Make Oobleck:
- Place 2 cups of cornstarch in a bowl.
- Add 1 and 1/2 cup of water and food coloring if using, and stir well.
- Add more water or cornstarch until you get a mixture that is solid when you punch it, but liquid like when you lay your hand on top.
** When disposing your oobleck, make sure to empty it in the trash. DO NOT pour the oobleck down any drain because it could clog it.
Now play with your oobleck and see what happens!!! For ideas on the fun you can have with your oobleck or to see the consistency you are looking for, check out the video below from when we made our own oobleck.
If you are looking for other fun Dr. Seuss activities for Dr. Seuss week, another post you will want to check out is our Green Eggs and Ham post from our Carnival Cruise. There you will find great ideas for decorating and menu ideas for more than just green eggs and ham. What are some of your favorite activities for Dr. Seuss week?
Make sure to pin this post that way you will always know how to make oobleck, regardless of the occasion!
My boys would have a blast with this goo. I like that it uses skin save ingredients
Oh my goodness how much fun does this look! I love that it looks like it is kind to the skin and you can just have an awesome time with.
Omg My kids would love this Dr. Seuss activity!!
I’ve never made Oobleck before and eager to try it at home. Materials needed are so easy to find. Can’t wait to have my kids go crazy with this gooey stuff.
My kids would have a blast doing this. I have to try it out.
Omg wow I dont think I’ve ever head of oobleck before but sounds so cool. Love that it has that dual effect with feeling solid and liquid at the same time.
Oh no…my children will love this…looks so fun and i have to collect more energy to clean all the mess hahaha
Sounds like so much fun. My kids will surely enjoy this fun activity! I can’t wait to try it this coming weekend. Thanks for sharing!
That looks like so much fun!! Sure kids love this!
That is a really fun project idea! That stuff looks messy!
Ooblek is a ton of fun! My kids and I have made this several times and can’t get enough of it.
My girls would love it and it is such a fun activity for Dr Seuss week.
sounds like this will be going on the summer bucket list thanks for sharing
This looks like so much fun for kids. Will share with my friends with kids, for sure.
Oh, this looks really interesting and fun to do with kids. I will save this for my daughter.
So ironic. My kids are doing Seussical the Musical for their winter play this year. I live these costumes. I’m gonna Show this post to the school.
This looks so much fun. So fascinating how it stays in shape and I bet it’s so irresistible to touch.
Yes!! You can’t stop touching it! It’s the strangest thing!
I have definitely never made that but it seems like such fun. My kids are a bit older but they still may enjoy something like this. Can’t wait for the next rainy day fun day!
My kids would love to do something like this. They love to play with slime and so this would be epic to them!
Hhaha this looks like so much fun but also messy. I’d have to be in a great mood
Good messy fun! I love playing with this stuff too!
OMG so much fun, I want to do this. Inner child is coming out.
Geez this is definitely fun! However, this is surely an off-limits to our home, because my Mom doesn’t like mess, hahaha. That is the down-side of having a OC Mom.
I like what she is doing. It is so much fun. I like getting messy.
It looks like so much fun, Iused to love doing things like that when I was little!
I love Dr. Suess, and so do my children. This project is a fun, tactile and creative way to integrate what they read with the experience of making something they love. (Good tip about disposal) 😉. Thanks!!
How did I miss this. My daughter made ooblek ages ago to sell at school for a fundraising event. I never saw the finished article and had no idea it’s solid and liquid. I’d be all over that. Not literally, that would be really messy.
i love dr seuss! this stuff looks like a messy fun time too
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It looks like a lot of fun was had in the making of the oobleck!
What a fun craft. Making it is have the fun!
Cool, looks like you are having fun making and playing with oobleck. We would love to try this too!