Summer's End: Oobleck

I had played with today's science experiment at some point in my childhood and thought it would be a simple and fun activity with the kids. When I went to look up the recipie for it last week I saw this Dr. Suess book mentioned: Bartholomew and the Oobleck
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0394800753/ref=redir_mdp_mobile/179-2081073-9932865
I don't know that I have ever read this one and Olea loves the Dr. So I figured it was necessary to add some literature to today's science. Our local library had two very old but intact copies. I snagged one while I was there last.

Jobs had to be done first today... I'm mean like that.
Then we mixed up the oobleck.
http://chemistry.about.com/od/chemistryhowtoguide/ht/oobleck.htm
Lucky me I had just enough corn starch...

I let the kids each choose their color. Nev was napping but due to wake soon so when Olea picked pink and Zurich picked blue it was perfect. We did have to let it rest in the fridge for a bit while we read the story, that helped it firm up a bit to the right consistency.

They played a bit and then Nev woke up so we poured some pink and blue oobleck into a bowl for Nev. She did not dive in to the dirty as quickly as the others. She poked at it with a finger tentatively, she giggled over it but didn't dive in till I gave her a spoon. Now that I think of it, I never told her not to eat it and she never tried. Surprising. Olea liked the idea of mixing colors more so she started stealing spoonfuls from Zurich's bowl. She suddenly desperately wanted purple oobleck. The kids really enjoyed it and Olea suddenly remembered that she had read the book and played with green oobleck at "my old school." (She sounds like DA from the Magic School Bus).