Cornflour Slime
MAKE YOUR OWN SAFE AND EASY CORNFLOUR SLIME WHILST LEARNING ABOUT THE SCIENCE BEHIND THE REACTION IN THE CORNFLOUR.
EQUIPMENT
- Plastic beakers
- Tablespoons
- Cornflour
- Food colouring
- Wooden tongue depressors
- Pipette
- Garden water spray bottles
METHOD
- Measure out 2 tablespoons of cornflour into the beaker
- Add 1 tablespoon of water to the cornflour and mix
- Add a few drops of food colouring
- Using a spray bottle, add a little more water at a time as necessary, until the cornflour and water mix properly
- Start stirring. Is your mixture a liquid or a solid or both?
THE SCIENCE
The cornflour does not dissolve in the water – it creates a suspension called a colloid. The cornflour particles are very fine and roll over each other which means that the mixture acts like a liquid. However, when energy is added to the mixture (by stirring or rolling in the hand) the particles of cornflour lock together and the water between the particles is pushed out of the way, so the slime behaves like a solid.