Frozen Oobleck Color Mixing Sensory Play
While planning Ada’s science-themed birthday party I wanted to include fun sensory activities that worked for kids aged one to four. We had been enjoying oobleck and figured that it would be a fun sensory activity that could let the kids experiment with color mixing.
I decided to take the oobleck a step further by freezing it in ice cube trays ahead of time so the colors would stay separated for longer and would be easier for the kids to grab portions of. Plus I like to prep as much as I can ahead of the party. Leading up to the party I made batches of red, yellow, and blue oobleck and froze them in ice cube trays. Once frozen I popped them out and moved the frozen oobleck cubes into a freezer bag before putting them back into the freezer. I then rinsed out the ice cube tray and made up the next color of oobleck. I decided to go with each of the primary colors (although the white base lightened them up a bit) so it would be simpler for the kids to make new colors without muddying or neutralizing the colors (like mixing the primary color with it’s opposing secondary color a.k.a. mixing the complementary colors).
Closer to the birthday party I made a sign for the oobleck station and started gathering my supplies: cornstarch, large bin, bowls for mixing the colors in, and spoons for any needed mixing and transferring.
The morning before the birthday party started I mixed up a large batch of white oobleck in the bin, taped my sign to the wall, and added all the tools around the lidded bin. Once the party started I brought out the bags of frozen oobleck cubes and removed the bin’s lid for full access to the white oobleck. Figured the bin of white oobleck gave a fun central spot for playing or adding the colored oobleck too. The white could also be transferred out into the other bowls to lighten up any hues created.
After The Party
During the party some of the vinegar mixture from our explosions station made it’s way over but the oobleck was still easy to use. I noticed that even sitting in the sun for several hours the un-frozen oobleck cubes still kept their shape in the opened freezer bags. Ada had a blast playing during Zoey’s naptime and later both girls came back out for more fun before we cleaned it up.
Later I poured off most of the liquid and then scraped the oobleck into the garbage since there was a lot of it, just remember to check any large pieces of oobleck for toys or spoons before throwing it out. Ada’s third birthday party included arctic animals that were fun to look for in the white oobleck when cleaning up as they had all sunk inside. As I scraped the oobleck out this time around I couldn’t help but marvel at the colors that merged together yet also stayed distinct at the top of the oobleck and the separate layers and air bubbles on the way down the container. I’ve also noticed the colors while cleaning up oobleck leftovers inside the apartment after we used multiple colors. When rinsing out containers of oobleck I sometimes watch colors appear and disappear under the water force and almost want to call the girls over to look… similar to a kid with a gobstopper as they suck the colors away to get to the center.
I hope this helps you whether you’re planning a large party or keeping it simple with your kids. If you want more information about oobleck I previously posted how I make it along with making frozen oobleck (with video). Have you ever made oobleck fit the theme of your party? What was your theme and how did you change up the oobleck or accessories to fit the theme? Feel free to share in the comments below, on my Facebook page, or through Instagram. I hope your day is going splendidly!