Ooblek

Last Sunday Greg and Ian set out to make ooblek. It's a substance made from cornstarch and water that results in a concoction that is neither solid nor liquid. Punch the surface and it feels as solid as the ground, yet scoop up a handful and it oozes off your hands oh so nicely! Greg being well, Greg (aka bigger is better man) thinks that we need more than just a bowl of ooblek, we need a bucket full! Mind you, Greg was going to be leaving for a conference in NY in a few hours and hadn't packed yet. They empty the cornstarch from the cupboard into the bucket and add water...a little too much water...a trip to the grocery store is now mandatory. They came back with 4 boxes of cornstarch (and a box of Cheez-Its), and used three of them in the ooblek (at least he was considerate enough to replace the stuff they took from the cupboard!). After they had played with it for a while, Greg told Ian he could invite Alex over to play as well. They had a ball letting the stuff drip off their fingers, pretending to be monsters!

It was at about this point (shortly after snapping these shots) that Greg announced that it was time he should get going. No, he wasn't being Greg's joking self, he really thought he was going to leave me with this to clean up! I reminded him that when they started this project I expressed the desire that it would be his responsibility to follow it through to the end (I had been spending the day steam cleaning carpets after all!). Ooblek time then came to an end and Greg was off to NY city for two days. We still have the bucket in the garage (though it's not really ooblek anymore, more like damp cornstarch!), and the white powdered walkway as a reminder of the fun they had with ooblek!