Recipes for Oobleck: From Dr. Seuss's Book 'Bartholomew and the Oobleck'

Dr. Seuss celebrates his birthday on March 2. We celebrate Dr. Seuss legacy of literature. Dr. Seuss's charming fable Bartholomew and the Oobleck is pure Seuss fun. Here are recipes to make oobleck with your children, homeschool or students. What is oobleck? Dr. Seuss is not only a wit with cartoon drawings, but he's pretty creative with words too. Oobleck is just what it sounds like: goopy, gooey, slimy putty flubber. And Oobleck has a mind of it's own as poor Bartholomew discovers. Celebrate the wonder and magic of Dr. Seuss in your homeschool or classroom. Read Bartholomew and the Oobleck aloud to your class. Then make some oobleck with these recipes. I don't care what ages you teach, from preschool to twelfth grade. Every student, male or female of any age needs to experience the joy of Dr. Seuss. These supplies you'll need are cheap. You won't be exploding anything or cooking so no worries there.

Stretchy, noise putty Oobleck. This dubious substance is also fondly referred to by middle schoolers as 'farting' putty. You'll see why when you make it. Give each student a plastic zippered bag. In the bag add equal parts liquid laundry starch and white school glue. Liquid laundry starch is located in the laundry supplies aisle of the grocery store. Sta-Flo is the best known brand name. Laundry starch is a light blue milky substance. Students must mix the glue and laundry starch with their fingers. Continue mixing until all the glue is blended in and there is no more tackiness. This oobleck becomes very much like Silly Putty and when worked with the hands, becomes tough and rubbery. It bounces nicely too. But beware of passing librarians and principals if you allow students to bounce. Putty oobleck bounces as well as a super ball. Keep oobleck fresh in refrigerator stored in plastic bag.

Mystery oozing oobleck: Only two ingredients are required for oozing oobleck: corn starch and water. Blend small amounts of water into the powdered cornstarch. As you work in the water, the cornstarch will move back and forth between liquid and solid states of matter. The warmth of your hands 'melts' the cornstarch oobleck, but as it pours out of your hand, it hardens immediately. Touch it again and it's back to oozing. Like Bartholomew's oobleck it seems to have a life of its own. This form of oobleck can be mixed anywhere. I have placed it directly on a table. If it spills on carpet, it will vacuum up easily as it dries.

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