Oobleck in 5th Grade? Why Not!

Today, we made Oobleck to go along with our unit on matter.  It didn't exactly fit in, but I thought it would be a fun activity.  And now that I think about it, it did fit in!  I made the students think about the properties of liquids and solids, and determine which properties the Oobleck possessed.  The students also made qualitative observations (even though they don't realize they did).  :)  A little note:  if you see a recipe online that says 1 part cornstarch to 1 part water, it's WRONG!!!  None of their Ooblecks worked, but I made a BIG batch using a whole box of cornstarch and 1 1/2 cups of water.  It turned out perfect and they were all able to observe/feel my batch.  It was fun... and messy.  (Since I was putting  my hands in it, I didn't put any food coloring in.)  :)

Y'all, I have literally cried over planning this unit.  It was added to the NC Essential Standards this year, and there is very little across the internet on a 5th grade level.  The hardest part about planning has been finding a way for students to discover quantitative and qualitative properties.  I have used practically every resource I've found.  I just hope it turns out well.  I don't think I would be so stressed out if I were just planning for my class, but I'm planning the unit for the entire grade level.  It's just been rough, but we're half-way there! :)  Tomorrow, we are going to use balances to see how weight changes when you remove parts.  (we're using rice)  I've had to beg and plead to borrow enough balances from the lower grades.  5th grade got rid of them a few years ago.  Dumb.  Later on in the week, we are going to weigh water before it is frozen and then after it's frozen to show that weight doesn't change.  On Thursday, we're going to observe the qualitative and quantitative properties of fun-size candy bars.  That should really be fun, and I'll let them eat the candy bars when we're finished. :)  But that will be a surprise!!

Hope everyone has a great week!