- Five or six bags of goo
- Five or six medium-sized bowls
- Five or six measuring cups and spoons
- Plastic bags with a seal
- NIDA Junior Scientist DVD, or online video
- Instruction Sheet (PDF, 79KB)
- Log Sheets (PDF, 35KB)
You may want to have parent volunteers or instructional assistants available to help in the preparation of the bags of goo.
Prepare five or six bags of goo by following the instructions below:
- Measure 1/4 cup of cornstarch and put it in a bowl.
- Add about 3 1/2 teaspoons of water to the cornstarch. The mixture should be thick enough to shape into a ball. You may have to adjust the amount of water so that it is not too dry and not too wet.
- Duplicate the recipe so that you have five or six bags of goo, one for each group.
- Make sure you put each batch of goo in a plastic bag with a seal. If not, the water may evaporate, and the goo will dry out.
If possible, have at least one other adult in the room while the children are working on the experiment.
For the second half of the activity, measure the following materials and lay them out for each group of students:
- 1/4 cup of cornstarch
- 1/4 cup of sugar
- 1/4 cup of talc
- 3 1/2 teaspoons of water
- Spoons and stirrers
- This activity will take 2 days to complete. On the first day, show the students the DVD, hand out the log sheets, and have them work on the experiment. On the second day, students can record their results and discuss what they learned.