Museum of Science, Boston

Books for Kids

  • Bartholomew and the Oobleck
    , by
    Dr. Seuss
  • Oobleck-GEMS Book
    , by
    Steve Spangler Science

Contact Us

Contact the Discovery Center and Living Lab staff at livinglab@mos.org

Oobleck: Pre-Schoolers






  

    

  
Oobleck can be a fun science activity for people of all ages. We provide these generalizations as guidelines about what children at different ages might do during Oobleck explorations at the Discovery Center’s Experiment Station, in the kitchen at home, or at school.  Listed below are science and technology process skills that children may be practicing during their explorations. Please remember: each child develops at a different rate, so some children in each age group may be able to do some of the things described in the age group before or after their own.




How might pre-schoolers explore Oobleck?



  

      


  

    
Experiment - Pre-Schoolers




Try this!


Fill up a small, plastic cup with Oobleck.  Have your child stick one of his/her fingers in the cup. 


Ask your child to describe what the Oobleck feels like.


Oobleck Challenge: Can you stick your finger all the way to the bottom of the cup?  If not, what can you do to get your finger to reach the bottom?
  





  

    
Explore - PreSchoolers




Pre-Schoolers can try to figure out how to keep the Oobleck from dripping out of their hands.  They can explain what they are doing to keep the Oobleck acting like a solid.


Do you think Oobleck is more like water, or more like dough?  


What properties of the oobleck do kids consider when trying to answer this question? Do they think about color, texture, viscosity (how easily it "flows"), or other features?
  





  

    
Use Tools - Preschoolers




Pre-Schoolers can use tools to pick up, move, and press the Oobleck.


Grown-ups can ask kids if they would rather use plastic tools or their hands while playing with the Oobleck.  Why does your child prefer one or the other?


Try This!


Pre-schoolers can try making Oobleck molds - find a variety of small containers and fill each with Oobleck.  


Then, they can try making "Oobleck Castles" by depositing Oobleck from the molds.

Does the shape of some containers help the Oobleck keep it's form better than others?
  





  

    
Very Special Clean Up - Pre-Schoolers




Remember our special clean-up instructions!


Oobleck can clog your sink drains, if not disposed of properly!  


To clean up, rinse off your infant’s hands, and any tools/containers used, in a bowl filled with water.  Then let the bowl sit for several hours, or overnight.  


In the morning, all of the cornstarch will have settled to the bottom of the bowl.  You can then pour off the water into the sink, but make sure to dump the remaining Oobleck (which will be at the bottom) into the trash.