• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy + Terms
  • Affiliates

The Chaos and the Clutter

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Google Plus
  • RSS
  • Email
  • School at Home
  • Sensory
    • Sensory Processing Disorder
    • Awesome Sensory Play Activities
      • Sensory Bins
      • Sensory Bottles
      • Sensory Bags
  • Family Games
    • Minute to Win It Games
  • Special Needs Parenting
    • Childhood Anxiety
    • Reactive Attachment Disorder
    • Sensory Processing Disorder
  • Store
  • Course Login

Candy Cane Oobleck

By Sharla Kostelyk

(This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, see my disclosure policy.)

  • Total109
  • Facebook0
  • Twitter1
  • Pinterest108
  • Mix
  • Yummly0

Looking for an easy Christmas sensory activity? This Candy Cane Oobleck recipe requires only 3 ingredients and is ooey-gooey fun! It combines sensory play with science for lots of holiday fun.red and white swirls with candy canes, peppermints, and cookie cuttersMy kids love playing with oobleck and this candy cane themed one was especially fun. They enjoyed creating patterns and molding and squishing it into a ball and then watching as that ball turned to liquid and slid off their hands.

What is oobleck?

Oobleck is a sensory play material that acts like a solid when under pressure but is a liquid at rest. That’s where the science of it all comes in. Oobleck is a non-Newtonian fluid because it can mimic the properties of both a solid and a liquid.

This festive Christmas offers a way to combine science discovery with sensory play.red and white swirls in a dish with candy canes and cookie cutters

Candy Cane Oobleck Recipe:

Supplies needed:

  • 4 cups cornstarch
  • 2 cups water
  • red food dye
  • baking dish
  • optional: peppermint essential oil
  • optional: plastic candy canes, pretend peppermints, and holiday cookie cutters

Directions:

  1. Make one batch of white oobleck by mixing together 2 cups of cornstarch and 1 cup of water in a bowl.
  2. Pour it into a glass baking dish to form a single layer.
  3. Stir some red food dye into 1 cup of water.
  4. Mix the red water with 2 cups of cornstarch to make red oobleck.
  5. If you want, you can stir in a few drops of peppermint essential oil to make the oobleck smell like candy canes too. 
  6. Drizzle the red oobleck over the white.
  7. Drop some mini candy canes in there if you want or some Christmas cookie cutters or plastic candy canes and pretend peppermints.
  8. Invite kids to play.

collage of photos of red and white oobleck and a Christmas tree shaped cookie cutterThere is so much great sensory input in this activity. It provides wonderful tactile input, visual input, proprioceptive input, and if you use scent, olfactory input. Kids can squish it, squeeze it, tap it, drizzle it, smush it around, and pour it.

tray of red and white oobleck and candy canes with a pair of hands squeezing the oobleckThe science of it all:

I always find that kids learn best when they don’t even realize they’re learning. Invite your child or students to explore the oobleck and talk about their observations. 

When does the oobleck behave like a solid? When does it behave like a liquid?

Discuss states of matter. 

Read about Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids.hands holding red and white swirls of liquid

Important notes:

  • Oobleck doesn’t keep as well as slime or playdough so it’s best to make it the same day you want to play with it.
  • Never dispose of oobleck down the sink or it will clog your drain. Just allow it to dry a bit and scrape it directly into the garbage.
  • Adult supervision should be used at all times with this or any sensory play activity.
  • Although this recipe is technically taste-safe, I wouldn’t recommend eating it!

Sign up for your free Christmas Fun Jar activity ideas. 

Check out these other Christmas sensory activities:

Nativity Slime

I Spy Christmas Sensory Bag

Peppermint Playdough Station

  • Total109
  • Facebook0
  • Twitter1
  • Pinterest108
  • Mix
  • Yummly0

Filed Under: Christmas, Crafts and Activities Tagged With: sensory play

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kristina L says

    December 7, 2020 at 10:14 am

    we like the what we call them “wet” balls.

  2. Katie says

    December 7, 2020 at 11:09 am

    I like water beads, sand, beans or rice. these are always fun things to use and the kids enjoy.

  3. Krisitna says

    December 7, 2020 at 4:45 pm

    What a great article! we do lots of science project with my student-from playdoh making to electricity circuits. Gonna try ooblek !

  4. Rosanne Robinson says

    December 7, 2020 at 5:07 pm

    We like using sand & playdough.

  5. Rosemary Stephens says

    December 7, 2020 at 5:57 pm

    My favorite sensory activity is clean mud or slime 🙂

  6. Ali L. says

    December 7, 2020 at 6:19 pm

    Body sock games, water beads, and mini-trampoline!

  7. Stephanie E Owen says

    December 7, 2020 at 7:31 pm

    I love making Oobleck with my class of one year olds.

  8. Marlene says

    December 7, 2020 at 8:04 pm

    I love anything messy!!!!!!!!!!!!

  9. Angela Cox says

    December 7, 2020 at 8:16 pm

    water beads are so fun

  10. Cameo Slaybaugh says

    December 8, 2020 at 4:18 am

    We love all of the different types of sensory items. A big favorite are the sensory bottles. We even made one that hade a “jellyfish” (actually part of a clear plastic grocery bag) that floated up and down.

  11. Lindsey says

    December 8, 2020 at 6:37 am

    Play dough and slime are always favorites! It’s tough to do as much sensory play at school this year but I’m trying to incorporate it as much as I can!

  12. Michelle J. says

    December 8, 2020 at 9:25 am

    Honestly, ooblek!

  13. Amanda D. says

    December 9, 2020 at 11:21 am

    We love to use moon dough.

  14. bn100 says

    December 9, 2020 at 4:35 pm

    playdoh

  15. Elisha Beeson says

    December 9, 2020 at 7:40 pm

    The sand and water tables

  16. Wanda says

    December 9, 2020 at 7:52 pm

    We love water beads

  17. Catie says

    December 10, 2020 at 12:24 pm

    My students love making a mess, I love watching them make the mess!

  18. Heather says

    December 11, 2020 at 10:04 am

    We love making slime!

  19. Jeanette Jackson says

    December 11, 2020 at 10:51 am

    My grandson likes slime

  20. Melissa LaRue says

    December 11, 2020 at 10:58 am

    My kids are Ooblek fanatics!! The candy cane is such a fun idea!

  21. Buddy Garrett says

    December 12, 2020 at 9:01 am

    We love PlayDough.

  22. Renee Coggins says

    December 12, 2020 at 9:42 am

    So many fun ones–Oobleck, playdough, kinesthetic sand,…

  23. Amanda Whitley says

    December 12, 2020 at 11:04 am

    we love to play with the water beads

  24. Mary Ann Loreng says

    December 12, 2020 at 12:59 pm

    I love to use water beads, Oobleck, shaving cream, and making “snow” from creme rinse and baking soda.

  25. Dynal Roberson says

    December 12, 2020 at 3:09 pm

    My daughter loves orbees

  26. Sara Zielinski says

    December 12, 2020 at 3:46 pm

    I love perler beads, fun for kids and adults.

  27. Jennifer says

    December 12, 2020 at 7:38 pm

    I like using shaving cream, colored sand, and homemade play dough.

Primary Sidebar

Categories

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Copyright © 2023 • The Chaos and the Clutter • Site Design by Jeni @ The Blog Maven

Return to top of page

Copyright © 2023 · Chaos and the Clutter 2.0 on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in