Walking on Water

Have you ever wanted to walk on water? I got a chance to do it last week at school. To celebrate Dr. Seuss' birthday, my teachers acted out the book by Dr. Seuss called "Bartholomew and the Oobleck". This is a story about something gooey falling from the sky. Oobleck is actually a liquid when it is poured but turns into a solid when it encounters force. The recipe is simple: 1 cup water and 2 cups cornstarch along with a few drops of food coloring.
 
When oobleck is punched, the starch molecules combine together, causing it to harden. When the force is released, the cornstarch flows again.
 
Every grade in my school got a chance to walk on "oobleck". We were able to do this by reading books for a certain number of minutes per grade. For example, 4th grade had to read at least 950 minutes to be able to walk on "oobleck". We were allowed about 6 weeks to accomplish this goal.
 
Creekside Elementary's gym teacher filled a bath-tub sized container with the oobleck. This was really unique because in the container it looks like a solid, but when you pick it up, it becomes a liquid in your hand. We were able to take turns walking on "oobleck." We rolled up our pants and had to move our feet quickly, otherwise we'd sink. Some of the teachers and even our principal walked on it! Lots of kids did cool tricks; a couple of girls did cartwheels, and some people did dances. One boy in my class tried to do push- ups but he sank. It actually wasn't quite as scary as it looked!