Oobleck and Faith

Making oobleck provides a great sensory experience for kids and adults alike. It is also a lesson in faith.

“…your kids will want to do it over and over.”

Oobleck Science

The name “oobleck” comes from the Dr. Seuss book, Bartholomew and the Oobleck. Oobleck is non-Newtonian fluid, which means it is a fluid that does not follow Isaac Newton’s law of viscosity. The fun thing about oobleck is that it changes its physical state. It’s actually both a solid and a liquid. It behaves like a solid or a liquid depending on the pressure you put on it.  Press it together and it feels solid, let it rest in your hand and it drips like a liquid.

In chemistry, oobleck is what is known as a colloid, a substance in which small particles of one substance are suspended throughout another substance, but they are not chemically bonded.

You can think of oobleck as a cousin of slime, which is much more commonly known. Both are non-Newtonian fluids. The difference is that oobleck tends to be more liquid than glue slime tends to be more solid. 

Oobleck reminds me of the Gospel story of Jesus walking on the water. The disciples were in a boat and a storm came up. In the middle of the storm, they saw what they thought was a ghost walking toward them on the water. It was Jesus! When Peter recognized him, he said, “Lord, if it’s you, let me to come to you on the water.” Jesus said, “Come.” Peter got out of the boat and amazingly, as long as he kept his eyes on Jesus and kept walking, the water was like a solid. When Peter stood still and looked down, the water became a liquid again, causing Peter to begin to sink. Thankfully, he reached out to Jesus, who saved him.

Making oobleck always requires some fine-tuning. I’ll give you the basics and you can experiment by adding more water or cornstarch to get the perfect consistency.

Steps

1. Pour 2 cups of cornstarch into a bowl
2. Add 1 cup of water into the bowl. Stir to combine.
3. As an option, add drops of food coloring to your oobleck. Stir or mix with hands to combine.

Try it! 

When mixed, you should be able to press a handful into a bal; when you release the pressure, the ball should “melt” back into a liquid. If it is too watery, add a couple tablespoons of cornstarch and mix. If it is too flaky or solid, add a couple tablespoons of water and mix.

Do not pour it down your sink drain! It clogs drains. To clean up oobleck, let it dry. Once it dries, it returns to a cornstarch that can be easily swept or vacuumed up. Dried oobleck can be wiped off hands and clothes easily with a damp cloth.

Making oobleck will increase your faith and it will be so much fun that your kids will want to do it over and over.

“Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. ‘You of little faith,’ he said, ‘why did you doubt?’”

— Matthew 14:31

Copyright © 2023 Chuck Locklear

Also, see Science Can Be Fun.