Sparkly Scented Winter Oobleck Sensory Play
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With all the sensory play activities we have done, trying oobleck was a first for me. And I have to say it has probably been my favorite one so far. I made it into a sparkly scented winter-themed recipe. I had to pull Ellie away from playing with this, she enjoyed it a lot.
Sparkly Scented Winter Oobleck Sensory Play
Oobleck is a non-Newtonian fluid. This means that when pressure is applied to it in its liquid state, it will change into a solid. Once the pressure is off, it returns back to its liquid state. Very neat stuff to play with!
The general ratio for making oobleck is 1.5-2 parts water to 1 part water.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups corn starch
- 1 cup water
- 4 drops of cedarwood essential oil and the second time peppermint essential oil
- silver glitter (optional)
Ellie was literally begging to get her hands in this once she saw me make it. And she played with it for almost an hour afterward, just letting the oobleck run between her fingers and into the bowl.
Even I got in on the fun, it really is a neat sensory experience for all ages, not just preschoolers.
To keep the table clean, I put a large towel down over it. Since it is just cornstarch and water I didn't worry so much about Ellie's clothes since they would wash right out. It also came off her hands easily.
You could also add some food coloring if you wanted. Below in this Periscope live stream I did we talked about adding green food coloring. You can also see what the texture is like when you make it yourself.
For more sensory play ideas, check our my sensory fun Pinterest board below.
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Heather Greutman, COTA
Heather Greutman is a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant with experience in school-based OT services for preschool through high school. She uses her background to share child development tips, tools, and strategies for parents, educators, and therapists. She is the author of many ebooks including The Basics of Fine Motor Skills, and Basics of Pre-Writing Skills, and co-author of Sensory Processing Explained: A Handbook for Parents and Educators.
Heather,
Try adding more water so its soupier. When you scoop the soup into your hands it goes “solid” and runs out, another fun way to experience touching texture!
Thanks for all you share!
Diane
Oh fun! We will have to try that! Thanks for the tip.
We have never made Oobleck, but I’m pretty sure our sensory loving kid will have a blast with this! Sending hubby to get some cornstarch! #HipHomeschoolMoms
It is my new favorite sensory activity! Have fun!
This looks like a lot of fun and like it had a great texture!
I’ve never done oobleck before either. Somehow my son doesn’t like the “dirty” texture over his hands, although he will tolerate more solid slime that we’ve made.
I love love love how you are including videos in most of your activities now! My house seems way too hectic to even try that, but it’s brilliant 🙂 Oobleck is one of our favourite sensory materials.
Ah, thanks Jennifer! I hope to do more and more of them (as the kids allow, haha!)
I’m so glad your first trial with oobleck went well. It can be so much fun!
We will definitely be doing it again!