Goopy-Goo!

We had a grumpy, tired and fed up day last week. (Read about it here) It wasn't all bad though; we decided to do an experiment that's been on the "to do" list for a while now - making goopy-goo. Alfred was immediately on board as it sounded like something from a Dr Seuss book, and Elizabeth just likes any excuse to get her hands dirty. So, we gathered together our equipment and off we went.

First, we measured out two cups of cornflour into our bowl.

Then we did the same with a cup of water.

Then came the really fun part.

Mixing it together.

The book suggested using your hands, but Alfred decided a spoon was a better idea for his turn. So between us we mixed it all together until we had goo.

 This wasn't just any old goo though. This goo acted as both a solid and a liquid. I admit I wasn't actually expecting it to work or be quite as exciting as it was. 

Roll the mixture together between your hands and you get a ball. 

The moment you stop rolling? It's liquid again! Hours of fun!

The science behind it? Cornflour particles are long, stringy, and don't dissolve in water. Instead, they spread out – applying pressure to the mixture joins the particles so it feels solid, take away the pressure and the particles can slide over each other again and appears as liquid!

It was a great, hands on experiment that the kids could pretty much do by themselves, which of course met with their approval. And Alfred even dipped his finger in at the end.