Science News Articles: Stunning Glow in the Dark Oobleck Experiment for Kids

Stunning Glow in the Dark Oobleck Experiment for Kids

If you love oobleck, STEM activities, science projects, and all things fun, you'll love this glow in the dark oobleck experiment for kids. Fun for all ages!

If your kids love science, Halloween, and glow in the dark fun, you won’t want to miss making this incredibly easy Oobleck experiment STEM activity!

How to Do the Glow in the Dark Oobleck Experiment

This glow in the dark oobleck experiment is perfect for Halloween science or blacklight fun any time of year!

What you’ll need to make the glow in the dark Oobleck experiment:

We love this science experiment because it literally has two ingredients and takes about 10 seconds to whip up. Mix about 2 parts cornstarch and 1 part quinine into your tray. If the mixture is stiff and doesn’t mix well, add a bit more liquid. If it is too wet, add a bit more cornstarch.

Take the tray into a dark room (we played in our bathtub because this experiment can get a little messy).

Turn off the lights and shine the blacklight onto the play tray for fun, spooky, glowing effects!

The Science Behind the Glow in the Dark Oobleck Experiment

Oobleck is a substance known as a non-Newtonian fluid. Newton thought that a substance was either a solid or a liquid and couldn’t have the properties of both. But Oobleck, and other non-Newtonian liquids, do have the properties of both a liquid and a solid.

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When pressure is applied quickly to oobleck, the particles are forced together and it feels like a solid. But, when you allow the mixture to move slowly, it drips off your fingers because the particles have enough time to move out of the way. Quicksand is another non-Newtonian fluid.

The mixture started to become called Oobleck because of a Dr. Suess book