Make Your Own Oobleck!

One of the stations at the Seuss-a-Rama was called "Make Your Own Oobleck". This activity was based on the Seuss book, "Bartholomew and the Oobleck and was a science lesson. Below are the directions on how to make it.

Make your own Oobleck!
Ahead of time: Mix 29 ml of Borax into one cup of water. Then…
1. Fill the plastic cup with about ½ inch of glue.
2. Add 29 ml of water to the glue and stir.
3. Add a few drops of green tempera paint and stir again.
4. Add 29 ml of the Borax solution and stir well.
5. Lift the oobleck out and place it on paper.
6. Let it sit for about 30 seconds and then play with it.
7. Put it in a baggy to take home.
Background: The term "Oobleck" is derived from the book Bartholomew and the Oobleck, by Dr. Seuss. Experimenting with Oobleck is much more than having fun with a weird substance. As students participate in this activity, they will develop important skills in scientific observation. Scientists at Jefferson Lab use a similar process to investigate quarks in the nucleus of the atom. Explanation: The borax is acting as the crosslinking agent or "connector" for the glue (polyvinyl acetate) molecules. Once the glue molecules join together to form even larger molecules called polymers, you get a thickened gel very similar to slime.