Ooblick (Magic Mud)

Materials: corn starch, water, flat pan (pie plates or dish basins work well), newspaper, hammer

Directions:

1. Spread the newspaper out on top of a table. Place the basin in the middle.
2. Pour an amount of corn starch into the basin.
3. Add water in small increments until you get a very strangely-textured, sticky goop. Typically you will use equal amounts of corn starch and water to get the desired effect.
4. Play with your mud! What happens if you stick your fingers through it slowly? What happens if you squeeze some of it in your hand, then release the pressure? What happens if you hit it with a hammer?

You've created magic mud! This material is not quite a liquid, and not quite a solid, but somewhere in between. When pressure is applied to the mud, it behaves like a solid. When the pressure is released, the mud acts like a liquid. Basically what's happening is the long molecules that make up the corn starch get easily tangled together when under pressure, and are able to slide by each other when there is no pressure applied.

Note: this is a very messy experiment but lots of fun! If at all possible, do this outside. Makes the cleanup easier!

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