Easily set up hours of fun for your child using common household items and a few pantry supplies with this kitchen oobleck. You’ll likely have everything you need to create this play experience already in your home.
Of all the sensory play recipes, oobleck is the absolute easiest. Chocolate oobleck makes a great pretend mud for play use. We also have made Easter oobleck, Candy Cane oobleck, and lemonade oobleck. Our kids have had so much fun with all of them and I loved how easy they were to make.
Kitchen Oobleck:
Supplies needed:
- 4 cups cornstarch
- 2 cups water
- food colouring
- plastic bin
- kitchen tools
Directions:
- In a large bowl, stir some food colouring into the water. Mix in the cornstarch to create the oobleck.
- Pour the oobleck into a sensory bin (plastic bin) and set the bin on the floor.
- Add in some kitchen tools for exploration through play.
- Invite your child to discover and learn with the oobleck and kitchen tools.
What kitchen tools should I use?
Really, there is no right or wrong answer here. Use your imagination and invite your child to choose tools as well.
Here are some household items we found worked well:
- potato masher
- slotted spoon
- small strainer
- funnel
- fork
- spoon
- spatula
- garlic press
- tongs
- egg separater
- meat tenderizer
Cleanup tips:
We love, love, love messy play, but you can set out a shower curtain or dollar store plastic tablecloth underneath the bin to contain the mess in you want.
Never put oobleck down the drain as it will clog.
Clean the kitchen tools as you normally would since the ingredients in the oobleck are edible.
How the Science of Oobleck Works:
Oobleck is not only a great sensory activity, it is also a learning one. Oobleck is what’s known as a non-Newtonian fluid or a suspension. That means it can mimic qualities of both a solid and a liquid.
It’s made of only two ingredients, but it’s the combination of those ingredients that creates the unique properties that can be both a liquid or a solid. When pressure is applied, the cornstarch molecules bond together to create a solid state.
As your child explores through play, they can discover the changes in state that happen as this goes from liquid to solid.
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