Gooey Goo- a simple science experiment for young kids
There have been far too many rainy, wet and cold spring days around here! Yuck! Since most of us are inside a lot these days, we’re reaching the limits of our resources for fun activities. A couple of cold, wet, rainy weekends ago I dug deep into the trenches of my childhood, pulled out a memory of fun, and it honestly kind of saved the day. This simple science experiment for kids only requires two ingredients, is hands on and is non toxic. Count me in, right? Plus, it is fascinating, which means you might even catch yourself a little break while the kids are busy enjoying and playing. Moms of littles, rejoice!
You won’t need to order a list if 10 things from Amazon (thank heavens!). You definitely have one item already and and you probably a have the other one. If not, you can pick it up at the store for a couple of dollars at most, so rejoice!
Somewhere along my 80’s, single parent childhood I discovered this “science experience” that was so easy and minimal, even my hard working momma couldn’t refuse. “Mom can I make my science experiment again?”, I would ask excitedly. With what I now recognize fully as a tired sigh, calculating the mess and cost of the whole enterprise, she would pause. And anytime we had the ingredients she would say yes. I would feel so interesting conducting these experiments, and even the fact that I knew one that I could make was somewhat empowering. (How funny life was before the internet!) I would go back to this on repeat, and found it equal parts fascinating, fun, and kind of relaxing.
When the memory came to me, in popped onto google to verify the information as I recalled it. Sure enough, it’s a thing, and there are videos you could watch if you wanted to check them out.
Here’s what you need:
- Water
- corn starch
- a large container or pan
That’s it! 😛🤗🤩
As you combine the two ingredients, they change to make a new type of matter. An ooey gooey one that is fun and safe to play in. It’s also really interesting to watch as it keeps changing, both when you mix it and when you don’t!
As you watch this process unfold, you can talk casually about the concepts of liquid and solid, or get a bit more in-depth if your kids are older and need more science class. (Or go pour a cup of coffee and cram open a book for ten minutes. You choose!)
It gets a little messy, but wipes clean very easily with a wet cloth.
The kids were at first unsure of the texture, if the mess was okay that got on the table. No worries with this one!! I assured them it was fine and fun and safe. Have at it! They played with the gooey goo, as we called it, felt it in their hands, and enjoyed it for a long time. My son put a new twist on it and gave his cars a bath. He enjoyed rescuing them from “the muck”, and then he took the time to wash them clean with fresh water and a cloth.
All in all, for a couple of dollars, this experiment gives you bang for your buck! As it gets warmer, you could even bring it outside. Of course, more careful supervision is required for younger ones who might want to try eating it. I think one taste would be enough to steer them from that, but one never knows about these things, and you know your kids best.
Be safe and have fun with this ooey gooey science experiment! Maybe you’ll come back to it on somewhat of a repeat like we will. But either way, I hope it filled up some of your day with fun!
Xox
