Young Scientists at Play: Making Paints and Goop

Sunday night I made up some base for the paints I want my little scientists to make tomorrow to use in their ‘Artists at Play’ hour on Tuesday.  Basically paint is thickened colour so I mixed some water, with thickener (flour) and ended up with a white base:

My white 'paint'
My white ‘paint’

I made it a little thicker than I eventually wanted it.  The reason for this was that as part of their science lesson I wanted the little ones to colour jars of bases to make up their own paint.  For this I added lots of food colouring to a little water, popped it into the test tubes and instructed them to add one colour to each tub:

Adding the yellow and the green food colouring
Adding the yellow and the green food colouring
And the red and the blue
And the red and the blue

And then give the tubs a good mix.  We popped the lids on and put them to one side for the next days art fun:

Our paints for tomorrow
Our paints for tomorrow

The main science activity I wanted them to do was to handle and play with some goop.  This is known by many names but is basically a solid that behaves like a liquid; or do I mean a liquid that behaves like a solid?  Not sure- I do know that it is a substance which is neither fully liquid or fully solid.  This makes it a very new experience for my little scientists.  My dilemma was whether I made it before hand or let the littles make it as part of their science.  I opted for the later.  I gave each of them a tray full of corn flour and some containers with pink coloured water in them.  I gave them enough that they could make some fairly thick goop:

So patient, but itching to get going
So patient, but itching to get going
They immediately dumped the whole container of water into the flour!
They immediately dumped the whole container of water into the flour!
B2 wasn't sure what to make of it!
B2 wasn’t sure what to make of it!
A4 loved it from the very first moment
A4 loved it from the very first moment
B2 asked to have her hands washed constantly, although she always went back to play with the goop, so I filled a tub of soapy water and let her clean her hands whenever she wanted
B2 asked to have her hands washed constantly, although she always went back to play with the goop, so I filled a tub of soapy water and let her clean her hands whenever she wanted
I gave them a spoon, thinking B2 might find that easier.  It was a hit!
I gave them a spoon, thinking B2 might find that easier. It was a hit as she tried to fill her container full of goop!
 A4 pretended to ice some cakes
I let them dump some more flour into their trays.  A4 pretended to ice some cakes
B2 emptied the goop from her container back into her tray
B2 emptied the goop from her container back into her tray
I just love her concentration.  She just loves science
I just love her concentration. She just loves science
You remember the soapy water?  Well they asked if they could add the bubbles to their goop.  Of course, I said Yes!
You remember the soapy water? Well they asked if they could add the bubbles to their goop. Of course, I said Yes!
B2 particularly enjoyed doing that!
B2 particularly enjoyed doing that!

I know I’ve said it before, but these one hour sessions are so good for B2.  She is completely in the moment, so things that normally bother her, noise and discomfort, seem to phase out and become less important for that hour.  Tomorrow we are trying a new activity for an hour: model making with junk.  I know A4 will thoroughly enjoy this, but I’m not sure if it is too old an activity for B2.  We shall see.  It’ll be less messy than the paint today, that’s for sure!!

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