A Complete Oobleck Activity Guide for Kids
Step-by-step recipe, 11 playful experiments, and the surprising science behind it
Welcome to the world of Oobleck
A strange little substance that sometimes acts like a liquid, and other times a solid. It has fascinated scientists, kids, and curious adults for decades.
Like many parents, I first stumbled across Oobleck through YouTube videos. I mixed it with my daughter, and we had a blast. But when she asked, “Why does it do that?” I froze.
I had no good answer beyond, “It’s just magic.”
And that stuck with me.
Because deep down, I knew it wasn’t magic. It was physics. It was chemistry. It was real science, wrapped in mess, giggles, and play. I wanted to give her more than fun. I wanted to give her understanding, without losing any of the fun that came with it.
That’s why I created this guide.
I went beyond the viral videos. I read the scientific papers. I dove into the physics of fluids. I ran experiments myself, over and over, to find the best ways to show and explain science alongside the magic.
And then I did the hard part: translating all that into a guide you can actually use.
In this hands-on and easy-to-follow article, you’ll get:
A clear, step-by-step recipe for making perfect Oobleck (with cleanup tips too)
A full collection of 11 hands-on experiments and playful demos, from monster summoning to impact testing (with pictures and videos from real testing!)
And most importantly: a kid-friendly, joyful explanation of what makes Oobleck so weird and wonderful, designed to spark curiosity in toddlers, teens, and grown-ups alike.
This isn’t just a craft. It’s not just messy fun.
It’s a way to make science feel alive. A conversation starter. A way to teach your child that asking “why” is powerful. And you don’t need a lab coat to do real science together.
Whether your child is 3 or 13. Whether you’re a science-loving parent or just someone trying to turn an ordinary afternoon into something magical, this guide is for you.
So let’s get messy. Let’s get curious. Let’s meet Oobleck.
Materials you’ll need
Before we dive into the fun, here’s what you’ll need. The best part? You probably already have most of this in your kitchen.
Basic Ingredients:
Cornstarch
Water
Mixing bowl or tray
Measuring cups
Spoon or just your hands for mixing
Optional (but highly recommended for extra magic):
Food coloring – for beautiful swirls of color
Hammer or mallet – for testing how Oobleck reacts to impact
Small heavy objects (like coins) and light ones (like plastic toys) – for sinking experiments
Eggs – for the dramatic egg-drop test
Cleanup Tip:
Don’t pour it down the sink. Cornstarch can clog drains.
Instead, let it dry out. Then it’s easy to scrape or wipe into the trash.
If kids have Oobleck all over their hands, let them rinse off outside, or use plenty of water if washing in the sink.
Step-by-step: how to make Oobleck
This is the moment when science becomes play. You’re not just mixing cornstarch and water. You’re mixing curiosity and connection.
Step 1: Add 2 cups of cornstarch to a large bowl
Let your child touch it. How does it feel? Powdery? Cloud-like? (Sneak in a little sensory learning while you’re at it.)
Step 2: In a separate cup, mix 1 cup of water with a few drops of food coloring
Let your child choose their favorite color. This is their Oobleck. Make it alien green, unicorn pink, or mysterious purple.
Pour the colored water into the cornstarch slooooowly.
Tip: It’s easier to mix food coloring into the water before adding it to the cornstarch. You can still swirl in extra color later if you want to get fancy.
Step 3: Mix it up
Start with a spoon, then switch to your hands. Squeeze it. Press it. Let it ooze through your fingers. This is when the magic happens.
Does it feel solid when you smack it, but liquid when you let it rest? That’s no accident. That’s science. You feel it before you ever need to understand it.
Step 4: Adjust if needed
Too runny? Add a sprinkle more cornstarch.
Too thick and dry? Add a splash of water.
You’ll know you’ve got it when you can roll it into a ball and watch it melt the moment you stop.
Fun Oobleck experiments
Let the real fun begin.
Below are some of my favorite Oobleck experiments you can try at home. No lab coat needed. Just curiosity, a towel, and maybe a mop. These hands-on experiments aren’t just for giggles (though there will be plenty). They also reveal real scientific principles in ways kids can feel, literally.
1. Calling the Oobleck monster (with a "magic" spoon)
What to do:
Gently press the bottom of a spoon into the Oobleck, not scooping, just making contact. Slowly lift it upward. Watch closely.
At first, a long tail of Oobleck will start to rise. It stretches, stretches, and keeps clinging to the spoon like it’s alive. It might climb several inches high before it finally breaks and drops back into the bowl. What’s remarkable here is that only the bottom of the spoon is in contact with the Oobleck. Just with that contact, we are able to pull up a big pile of the Oobleck.
Then something wild happens, the falling blob dances. Instead of splashing, it twists, bounces, and folds in on itself like a soft sculpture in motion.
What’s happening:
Oobleck is defying expectations.
It acts like a solid, clinging and stretching upwards as if it has structural strength.
But it also acts like a liquid, wrapping around the spoon and flowing downward when pulled too far.
This mix of behaviors is a perfect example of non-Newtonian physics in action.
When you pull the spoon slowly, Oobleck supports itself. But as the stress increases, it suddenly yields and turns liquid again. The “monster” you summon is held together by momentary force, until gravity wins.
Ask your child:
“How high can you grow your Oobleck monster before it breaks?”
“What does it look like when it falls, goo or sculpture?”
“Why does it stick to the spoon without being scooped?”
Pretend you’re casting a spell. Give the monster a name. Let your child be the “Oobleck Tamer” or “Gooey Wizard.” Science and storytelling go hand in hand here.
2. The impact test: hands, hammer, and Oobleck
What to do:
Try hitting the surface of the Oobleck with your hand, fast and hard. What happens?
Now, do the same with a spoon, a toy, or a hammer. Can it penetrate into the Oobleck?
Then, place the hammer gently on top and watch it slowly sink.
What’s happening:
When you apply force quickly, like a slap or hammer strike, the Oobleck resists. The particles jam together, and it behaves like a solid.
But when you move slowly, like resting your hand or lowering the hammer gently, the water between the particles allows them to slide, and the Oobleck flows like a liquid.
This contrast is one of the best ways to see and feel Oobleck’s strange behavior. It's not just fun, it's physics in action.
Ask your child:
“Why do you think the hammer bounced instead of sinking?”
“What happens when we place it slowly?”
“Can you think of anything else that behaves differently when you go fast vs. slow?”
“Would water do this? What about sand?”
Bonus idea: try dropping different objects (a coin, a toy, a marble) from the same height. Which ones bounce? Which ones sink? What do they have in common?
3. The slow sink and quick pull
What to do:
Place your fingers gently on top of the Oobleck and slowly let them sink. Then try to pull them out fast. What happens? Now try pulling them out slowly.
Why it’s cool:
It shows how pressure changes everything. Gentle movement = liquid. Sudden force = resistance.
Ask your child:
“Can you sink a toy animal in the Oobleck?”
“What happens if you pull too quickly?”
“What’s the slowest you can go and still sink?”
4. Surface scraping with a spoon
What to do:
Stir the Oobleck slowly then try scraping it fast with a spoon. You might see cracks appear or feel resistance.
Why it’s neat:
Oobleck behaves like water under gentle force but resists and breaks under fast motion, almost like you’re carving through clay. Scientists call this behavior shear thickening. (We will talk about it later.)
Ask your child:
“What happens when you stir it gently vs. quickly?”
“Can you make a smooth swirl? Can you crack it open?”
5. Interactive painting and play
What to do:
Prepare several small batches of Oobleck in different colors. Then, pour or drizzle them onto a large tray or bin. Use your hands, spoons, or toys to press, pull, swirl, or scoop the colors across the surface. Create tracks, tunnels, craters, anything you imagine.
You’re not just painting. You’re sculpting and reshaping a living, flowing canvas.
Why it’s wonderful:
This is sensory play, art, and science all at once. Kids explore texture, force, movement, and color as they shape their designs. It’s dynamic. Colors mix and fade, and everything resets with a stir.
Ask your child:
“What happens when you press hard v.s. soft?”
“Can you dig a hole? Make a wave?”
“What kind of picture does your motion create?”
“How does it feel to paint with something that moves back?”
Try it together. You’ll both lose track of time, and that’s a good thing.
6. Mixing colors in Oobleck
What to do:
Start with a bowl of plain white Oobleck. Drop in small dots of food coloring, red, yellow, blue, and let them sit for a moment. Did you notice they don't disappear (diffuse) as in water? Then take a spoon and gently stir, swirl, or poke the colors.
Observe how they move. Do they spread like in water? Or stay put?
Why it’s fascinating:
Oobleck slows diffusion. That means colors don't mix easily. You can control how they blend. It’s like painting in slow motion.
Ask your child:
“What happens if you stir fast? What about slow?”
“Can you mix two colors and keep the third separate?”
“What does this remind you of, fire? a flower? a galaxy?”
You can swirl, twist, or draw patterns before the colors blur together. Each moment is a new painting, and a little lesson in fluid dynamics.
7. The egg drop protector
What to do:
Cover a raw egg in Oobleck inside a small plastic bag and drop it from shoulder height (over a tray or outside). Try the same drop without Oobleck for comparison.
Why it matters:
Oobleck absorbs and spreads the impact, acting like a gooey airbag.
Ask your child:
“Did the egg survive?”
“What if we used a toy car or another object?”
“Does Oobleck always protect the egg?”
8. The falling blob (it hits the ground like solid, then melts like liquid)
What to do:
Scoop up a handful of Oobleck (or lift it slowly with a spoon) and then let it drop onto a flat surface (tray, plate, or even more Oobleck). Watch what happens the moment it lands.
You’ll see the blob hold its shape for a split second, almost like a lump of clay hitting the ground. Then… it melts.
The same thing happens if you let a thick drip fall from a height. At first it looks like a soft ball. Then it relaxes, flattens, and spreads into a puddle.
Why it’s cool:
This is Oobleck showing off its dual identity:
Solid on impact: when falling, it’s moving fast. Then it suddenly stops when hitting the ground. That creates lots of shear force, which causes the cornstarch particles to lock together.
Liquid at rest: as soon as it lands and the force disappears, it relaxes and flows like a thick syrup.
It’s one of the simplest and clearest ways to see non-Newtonian magic.
Ask your child:
“What did it look like when it first hit the tray?”
“How long did it stay in blob form?”
“Can you catch it while it’s still solid?”
“Would water do the same thing?”
9. Dry it out, then rebuild it
What to do:
Let the Oobleck dry in a tray overnight. It’ll become hard and crumbly. The next day, add water and watch it come back to life.
Why it’s neat:
It’s a reversible change. No heat. No chemicals. Just time and water.
Ask your child:
“Can you break the dried Oobleck?”
“What happens when we add water again?”
“How long does it take to turn gooey again?”
10. Bonus: dance party (with a subwoofer)
What to do:
Place a tray of Oobleck on top of a subwoofer speaker. Play a bass-heavy song and watch it ripple, jump, or spike.
Why it’s awesome:
Sound is vibration. Low-frequency waves create visible motion in the Oobleck, sometimes forming upright blobs and wave patterns.
Ask your child:
“Can we make it dance faster?”
“What shape do the ripples make?”
“Does the beat change what happens?”
11. Bonus: walk-on pool (advanced level of awesome)
What to do:
Make a large batch of Oobleck in a kiddie pool (2:1 cornstarch to water). Then run across it quickly! If you stop, you sink. Don’t have a pool? Try stamping your feet fast in a small basin.
What it teaches:
Oobleck hardens under sudden force. Running or stomping applies quick pressure, so it acts like a solid. Standing still = sinking.
Ask your child:
“Can you make it across without sinking?”
“What happens when you stop?”
“Would this work with water? Why not?”
The science behind the magic
What just happened?
You mixed water and cornstarch. That’s it. No heat. No glue. No chemical reactions.
And yet, what you got was something strange, almost alive. Sometimes it acts like a liquid. Other times, like a solid.
So… what is it?
It’s called a non-Newtonian fluid.
That’s a big science term, but don’t worry. Let's explain it so everyone can understand.
What’s a Newtonian fluid?
Most liquids follow predictable rules. When you stir them harder, they flow faster. That’s what Isaac Newton (yes, that Newton) described hundreds of years ago.
Water, air, oil? They all behave this way. Their resistance to flow, called viscosity, stays the same no matter how hard you stir. These are called Newtonian fluids.
In science-speak: a Newtonian fluid has a constant viscosity regardless of the shear rate (how fast you deform or stir it). Their behavior is smooth, consistent, and predictable.
What is a non-Newtonian fluid?
But Oobleck? It breaks the rules. When you stir it harder, it resists more. When you slap it, it hardens. When you stop, it turns back into goo. That makes it a non-Newtonian fluid, a material that doesn’t play by Newton’s rules.
In scientific terms: a non-Newtonian fluid has a viscosity that changes with shear rate. For Oobleck, the more force you apply, the thicker it becomes. It becomes harder to move. Scientists call this behavior as shear thickening.
Shear = the force from stirring or hitting
Thickening = it gets harder to move
Shear thickening: the harder you try to stir it, the harder it gets to move.
It’s like a traffic jam. Slow cars = smooth flow. Fast cars = sudden crowding, and nobody can move.
Other everyday examples of non-Newtonian fluids:
Ketchup. It’s hard to get out at first, but once you shake or squeeze, it flows easily. Unlike Oobleck, ketchup is a shear thinning fluid. The more force you apply, it becomes easier to move.
Paint – Thick when still, thin when brushed. It’s also a shear thinning fluid.
Blood – Its flow changes depending on how fast it’s moving.
You can find more examples of non-Newtonian fluids in Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-Newtonian_fluid
So what’s going on inside Oobleck?
A single particle of cornstarch is about 1 to 10 microns wide and about one-hundredth the size of a grain of sand. Oobleck is a suspension: millions of those tiny cornstarch particles floating in water, not dissolved, not melted, just hanging out like kids in a bouncy house.
Move slowly? The water flows around the particles. It slides. Feels like a liquid.
Move quickly? The water gets pushed out. The particles slam into each other and jam together. For a moment, they lock, creating solid-like resistance.
Why does this matter?
Believe it or not, scientists study Oobleck to design smart materials in the real world:
Protective gear that stiffens on impact, like bulletproof vests, athletic pads, or astronaut suits
Shock absorbers for cars or buildings that adapt instantly to vibration
Industrial coatings that change texture depending on pressure or movement
Researchers at MIT and the University of Chicago have built models to understand this behavior. They found that friction between particles plays a huge role:
More friction = more resistance = more sudden solid behavior.
So yes, your living room gooey project follows the same science that could one day protect bridges, athletes, or astronauts.
Wrapping up: sticky hands, big smiles, real science
So now your kitchen’s a mess, your hands are covered in goo, and your kid is asking for “just one more test.”
Perfect.
That’s Oobleck. It’s weird. It’s wobbly. It’s wildly fun.
But beneath the splashes and giggles, something bigger is happening.
Oobleck teaches more than just physics.
It teaches that the world is surprising. That science isn’t just about answers. It’s about noticing, wondering, asking why.
It shows that play and learning aren’t opposites. Play is learning. Especially when you're laughing through it together.
And when you get messy with them, ask questions with them, explore the unknown, even in a mixing bowl, you’re teaching them something powerful:
That discovery isn’t just for scientists in labs.
It’s for them. It’s for you.
It’s for right now.
So go ahead, scoop it, stretch it, summon one more Oobleck monster.
Because the best memories start with a mess, and the best science starts with fun and wonder.
This indeed looks pretty fun! Thanks for the idea!