The Puckett House: goo science experiment

Well, the goo that I mentioned in my play dates post was a hit. Jake loved it! I thought he might not like getting dirty, but that was definitely not the case. Out of all the kids there, he enjoyed it the most. Some of the older ones didn't like the way the goo felt on their hands, but not Jake. He loved it so much I even let him put his feet in it. The goo acts like a solid when you squeeze it or apply pressure, but then it turns into a liquid when you open your fingers (the goo mixture is actually a non-Newtonian fluid for all you science nuts out there). Pretty cool! We used the experiment to talk to the kids about solids and liquids. Slightly over Jake's comprehension level at the moment, but at least he enjoyed the tactile aspect of the experiment! The television show Mythbusters did an episode about this mixture on a much grander scale. You can check the video below from YouTube. I think every kid needs one of these in his backyard!

If you'd like to try this with your kids, use this recipe for the Blue Goo Science Experiment. I have two tips for when you do try this experiment. If (and it will) the goo gets on your clothes, let it dry on your clothes and then shake or brush your clothes out before putting them in the wash. Otherwise it will turn into a paste and look like gum on your clothes (according to my friend). But don't let this stop you from trying it. The goo completely came out of our clothes. No repercussions- other than Jake needing a bath and some moisturizing:) The other tip is to remove any jewelry (i.e. wedding rings) before playing with the goo. Have fun!

Jake mixing the cornstarch and water. It took him a while but he did it (and managed not to eat any of it!). Unfortunately we were so slow that we ran out of time to add the food coloring. Probably a good thing...