Solid or Liquid? Non-Newtonian Fluid

Mix the perfect batch of cornstarch and water goo.

Mix cornstarch and water in this classic experiment to form a gooey liquid and solid material that behaves like quicksand. Some people refer to this as the Oobleck recipe, others call it a Non-Newtonian fluid. After watching these video segments, you'll call it a great science lesson as your students learn about the amazing properties of this cornstarch and water mixture. And yes... Steve shows you how to perform the "Cornstarch Walk on Water" on a much smaller scale - using only 100 boxes of cornstarch in a small pool - instead of the 2,500 pounds he used on the Ellen Show.

Watch the Cornstarch Walk >

(2 Reviews)

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Reviews

Cornstarch Science - Quicksand Goo

Totally Awsome

Amber - November 28, 2010

This user gave 5/5 stars

I did this with my 7 and 9 year old and they love it!! It was so much fun and a they learned something in the process. I love that it is something inexpensive and simple but it provide loads of fun!

SO MUCH FUN!

Rachel CA - January 19, 2010

This user gave 5/5 stars

My 12 year old son chose to do his science fair project on quicksand, so tonight we mixed up a big vat of this stuff to experiment with. We were astounded by the texture. My 4 boys thought it was SOOOO cool, and my husband and I had a blast too. This would be fun to make just to play in! It was so fun to experiment with the solid/liquid properties. When you move quickly, or scoop it, it's a solid. When you hold still it turns into a liquid! You can literally make a ball of it and toss it into the air, and it turns liquid on it's way down! It was relatively easy to clean up as well (it was everywhere though!) I definitely recommend trying this experiment. Have fun!

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