Things to Make – Goo

My daughters' preschool offers wonderful science classes once a month. The results of which are often quite interesting. For example, after one class my oldest daughter came home talking about a "wonderful machine" that can make feet bigger. And, "can we get one so I can have REALLY big feet all the time?" It took over a month for me to figure out she was talking about a magnifying glass (I now read the class's take-home summaries for parents much more closely). Further, once at a dinner party she explained gravity to everyone present (and did a much better job than I could ever do). But her favorite lesson of all was about the distinction between liquids and solids, when they made goo. For those who've never played with goo, it's sort of like play dough, but it can be poured like a liquid. Not only is goo fascinating to play with (for both children and adults) it is incredibly easy to make.

Thus, goo has quickly become THE rainy day activity in our house, as pictured above (though we don't usually add paper towels into the mix). Warning, it is messy, but clean up is easy with soap and water.

Goo

1. Empty some cornstarch into a bowl (about half a box).

2. SLOWLY add water. If you add too much water the goo turns completely into a liquid, which is not what you want. So keep adding a little bit of water at a time and slowly mix with a spoon or your hands until it becomes "gooey" (for lack of a better word).

3. Add food coloring to make it more fun. This can also be a good opportunity to teach kids about the color wheel (yellow and blue make green, etc.).

So have fun!! What about everyone else? What's your favorite rainy day activity?

Post by Darcy : bedtimemonsters.blogspot.com