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Making Goop

Sensory play can be a fun and educational way to engage your child in learning.

This simple goop recipe can be easily made at home and used to foster learning in a number of ways. See below for some fun ways to engage your child with your homemade goop! 
*This goop is gooey and sticky. Playing with this on a table or hard surface and wearing messy play clothes is recommended for easy cleanup as it will stick to other soft materials. For future use, store your goop in a sealed plastic bag or container.

Goop Recipe:

  • 1 cup of school glue
  • 1 cup of liquid starch (found in laundry care area of many stores)
  • Food coloring (optional)

Directions:

  • Measure and pour the glue into a bowl.
  • If you want to color your goop, add a few drops of food coloring and mix until blended.
  • Measure the liquid starch and slowly mix it in with the glue while stirring.
    • The mixture will begin to thicken and get sticky very quickly.
    • Measuring equal amounts of both ingredients should result in the perfect texture of goop.
    • If the goop is too sticky, all a little more liquid starch. If too runny, add a little more glue.  

Goop Activities:

  • Using scissors, have your child cut the goop into pieces. You can count the pieces with your child, or use a dice or number flash cards to decide how many pieces to make and practice number recognition.
  • Talk about length and volume with your goop. How long can you make your goop? Can it fill a measuring cup? A small bowl? How much do you need to fill a ½ cup? How about a medium size bowl? 
  • Can you make the letters in your name with the goop?
  • You can hang a strainer or plastic basket with holes and let the goop slowly fall through the holes to the table/ hard surface.  
  • Using a straw, let your child put the end of a plastic straw into a pile of goop on the table. Make sure the sides of the goop puddle are all pushed down tight. Have your child slowly blow into the goop and watch bubbles form! Using straws this way and blowing can be a calming activity for children.
  • Can your child fit the goop into a small mouthed jar?  Fine motor skills will be needed!

 

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Making Goop

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