What to do on a cool June day?

Mixing blue goo- I love how Dani can bend all the way down with her legs straight!

The weather here has been unseasonably cool for June the last few days. It is too cold to play in the sprinkler or pool. Today, Joey suggested that we make blue goo to play with outside.

What is blue goo? It is a mixture of cornstarch, water, and food coloring. Today, we left out the food coloring. It tends to give the skin a nice tint that requires bathing. I was just not into giving baths before lunch today, so I guess my kids had to suffer with "plain old goo" rather than the pretty colored stuff. Goo is a very interesting mixture. When you squeeze it in your hand, it feels like a solid, otherwise it acts like a liquid. Here is the information below from the website so you can try it for yourself:

You can make squishy, fun blue goo to play with. Ask your mom or dad to help you. This will be messy, so be sure to do it in the kitchen on old newspaper.YOU WILL NEED• Newspapers• Mixing bowl• Cornstarch (16-ounce [454-gram] box)• Measuring cup • Water• Blue food coloringHERE'S HOW1. Pour a box of cornstarch into a bowl.2. Add 1 1/2 cups (240 milliliters) of water.3. Add about 15 drops of food coloring. You can also try this with different colors.4. Mix it all together with your hands. Have fun squishing!
COOL SCIENCEThe weird goo hardens in your hands when you squeeze it. It feels like a solid. When you open your hands, the goo feels like a liquid. It acts like both a solid and a liquid.

PARENT TIP: SCIENCE
Promote scientific thinking: Have your child develop a theory by predicting what may happen, and then prove or disprove it. After making blue goo, discuss the properties of liquids versus solids by asking your child to describe the differences between how water feels, how cornstarch feels, and how blue goo feels.

I have made this in the house before (during a snow blizzard) but it is much more fun outside where you don't have to clean up! (The water evaporates out of the cornstarch, then you just have cornstarch that blows away!)

If you are having an off day or don't feel well, do what I did last summer and have "mommy's spa day". Whip up a batch of this stuff, sit in the lawnchair with your legs up and let the kids smear it all over your skin. Fun for the kids because they are getting to put gunk on mommy; fun for you because your little precious angels are touching you and you don't have to worry about where they are as you are sitting there with your eyes closed. (Did this last August when I had an ear infection/sinus infection and could barely move).

NOTE: Today, a 16 oz box of cornstarch cost $1.59; that's all it cost to do this project. My kids were entertained for literally two hours and then this afternoon they both took two hour naps! Quite a great investment for $1.59!!!