After reading I’m a Dirty Dinosaur with my son, I was inspired to recreate the book through sensory play. I asked my son his opinion on what type of mud to make, and he said, “Oobleck!” Then again, he always asks to make oobleck. Going along with the theme of the book, we made muddy oobleck.

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The book is about a dinosaur who loves to get dirty by playing in the mud. At the end of the book, the dinosaur takes a bath in swamp water. Therefore, I decided to create two sensory bins – one with muddy oobleck and the other with blue water. This is bound to lead to some messy open-ended play!

The inspiration for this messy sensory play activity came from the book I’m a Dirty Dinosaur written by Janeen Brian and Ann James.

SCIENCE MATTERS

Did you know that oobleck, which is also known as goop, is a non-Newtonian fluid? Do you know what a non-Newtonian fluid is? It is a fluid that changes it’s viscosity under stress. The more stress that is added to the fluid, the more it acts like a solid. When there is no stress, it will act like liquid. Therefore, a non-Newtonian fluid, such as oobleck, is both a solid and a liquid.

Slime is another example of a non-Newtonian fluid. Learn how to make slime three different ways in this blog post.

RECIPE FOR MUDDY OOBLECK

INGREDIENTS

1 cup Cornstarch

1/2 cup Cocoa Powder

1/2 cup Water

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Stir the cornstarch and cocoa powder together.

2. Add water to the mixture and combine. I found it easiest to use my hands to mix everything together.

You may need to add more cornstarch (if too liquid) or water (if too solid) if your muddy oobleck is not the right consistency. Add a little at a time.

Did you know that muddy oobleck is a taste safe sensory base? This is great to use with kids who put everything in their mouths. While it is edible, I do not recommend eating a ton of it. It doesn’t taste that good!

SUPPLIES FOR SENSORY BINS

Muddy Oobleck (recipe and ingredients above)

Dinosaurs

Water

Blue Food Coloring – optional

Cornstarch – optional

2 Containers

For this sensory play activity, I used our FLISAT table from IKEA. However, you can use whatever bins that you have on hand. In one bin, I placed the muddy oobleck with some dinosaurs. In the other bin, I poured water. To create the blue murky water, I added blue food coloring and a little bit of cornstarch to the water.

INVITATION TO PLAY

Don’t forget to involve your children in the process of setting up your sensory play. Helping to make the muddy oobleck and to stage their play works on their ability to follow directions, how to measure things, and fine motor skills. It also helps them feel as if they are a part of the process.

Once you have the sensory table ready, invite your kids to start playing. My son went right into moving the dinosaurs from the mud to the water to wash off. He even added more dinosaurs to the mix.

However, it did not take long before he plunged his hands into the muddy oobleck. He enjoys watching the goop run through his fingers. He also loved completely covering the dinosaurs in mud.

However, he did appreciate having the water bin to wash his hands along with the dinosaurs. Plus, what kid doesn’t like playing in water?!

We had so much fun making and playing in muddy oobleck. Ben really had a great time with this messy sensory bin. What other messy play activities do your kids love?

TIPS AND TRICKS

• To keep our FLISAT table from IKEA clean, I recommend draping a shower curtain liner over the table prior to placing the TROFAST bins. This helps with easy clean up. I like to hose the liner down outside once we are all done playing. The liner is used over and over again.
• You can add a little cornstarch to the water to make it cloudy.
• To prolong the life of your muddy oobleck, store it in the fridge in an airtight container.

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All activities here are activities I feel are safe for my own children. As your child’s parents/guardians, you will need to decide what you feel is safe for your family. I always encourage contacting your child’s pediatrician for guidance if you are not sure about the safety/age appropriateness of an activity. All activities on this blog are intended to be performed with adult supervision. Appropriate and reasonable caution should be used when activities call for the use of materials that could potentially be harmful, such as scissors, or items that could present a choking risk (small items), or a drowning risk (water activities), and with introducing a new food/ingredient to a child (allergies). Observe caution and safety at all times. The author and blog disclaim liability for any damage, mishap, or injury that may occur from engaging in any of these activities on this blog.