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Try this fun, safe, and hands-on way to introduce young students to the concepts of matter. Students are given samples of both a solid and a liquid so that they can perform some simple experiments that demonstrate the differences. They are then given a sample of "Our Friend Oobleck" (a non-Newtonian fluid) to use in the same experiments, and they are asked to determine if Oobleck is a solid or a liquid.

Introduce young students to the concepts of matter in a fun, safe, and hands-on way. Students are given samples of both a solid and a liquid so that they can perform some simple experiments that demonstrate the differences. They are then given a sample of "Our Friend Oobleck" (a non-Newtonian fluid) to use in the same experiments, and they are asked to determine if Oobleck is a solid or a liquid. Materials support 10 groups of 1 to 3 students. Instructions included.

This kit addresses the following Next Generation Science Standards*:
Performance Expectation(s)
2-PS1-3. Make observations to construct an evidence-based account of how an object made of a small set of pieces can be disassembled and made into a new object.
5-PS1-1. Develop a model to describe that matter is made of particles too small to be seen.
5-PS1-2. Measure and graph quantities to provide evidence that regardless of the type of change that occurs when heating, cooling, or mixing substances, the total weight of matter is conserved.

Crosscutting Concepts
Energy and Matter
Scale, Proportion, and Quantity

Disciplinary Core Ideas
PS1.A: Structure and Properties of Matter
PS1.B: Chemical Reactions

*Next Generation Science Standards® is a registered trademark of WestEd. Neither WestEd nor the lead states and partners that developed the Next Generation Science Standards were involved in the production of this product, and do not endorse it.