Messy Kid’s Craft: DIY Non-Newtonian Fluid aka Cornstarch Slime!

I know you all read “Non-Newtonian Fluid” in this blog post title and were just jumping out of your seats with excitement, right? No? Well, I actually have to admit that I didn’t know what Non-Newtonian Fluid was either (despite my undergrad degree in science and post-grad research), but as we were playing with what I had termed “cornstarch slime,” my 8-year-old informed me that this was, in fact, Non-Newtonian Fluid…thank you, Bill Nye the Science Guy! Non-Newtonian Fluid is a fluid that acts like a solid and liquid at the same time, it defies Newton’s laws of viscosity and basically it will totally entertain and weird you out. It’s super easy to make, and I guarantee your kids will LOVE it!

To make the “slime” mix 1 cup of cornstarch with 1/2 cup of water (you can adjust to make more or less, just use a 2:1 ratio of cornstarch to water). Let the kiddos mix it with their hands and sit back and watch the fun. Non-Newtonian fluids change depending on pressure, so if you’re pouring the slime, it acts like a fluid; if you apply pressure, it acts like a solid! Have the kids try to squeeze it or hit it with their hand; it’s really fun to play with something that acts so unexpectedly!

Prepare for a bit of a mess with this activity; the slime actually wipes up very easily, though. So don’t be afraid to let the kids get messy and try out this cornstarch slime. You can teach them about Non-Newtonian Fluids at the same time and consider it a science lesson!

Just an FYI, these pics are of my 7-year-old, and no lie, he played with this stuff for an hour and a half with not a peep!

Cornstarch + Water = Happy Kid

Have you made cornstarch slime before? Do you let your kiddos play with messy activities?