When you squeeze the ball hard, the oobleck stress ball feels a bit similar to a flour stress ball. But if you gently poke at it or let it sit in your hand you can really experience the unique oobleck texture. It’s such a cool experience, and a really easy activity that kids can do on their own!
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What is oobleck?
Oobleck is a combination of cornstarch and water. It’s a non-Newtonian fluid that becomes a solid when you press on it and a liquid when you let it flow on its own. For a detailed recipe, and more information on oobleck (including the science behind it), check out our How to Make Oobleck post!
How long does an oobleck stress ball last?
Our stress ball lasted for about 5 days before the water dried out and the stress ball became really hard to knead.
If my balloon breaks, is oobleck hard to clean up?
Oobleck is actually really simple to clean up! The wet oobleck can be scooped into a bowl and thrown out. Leave the rest of the mess to dry, if possible, and it will become a powder that can easily be swept or vacuumed up.
What size balloon works best to make an oobleck stress ball?
We use regular 12 inch balloons from the dollar store to make our stress balls. (It should say right on the balloon package what size they are.) Smaller balloons won’t hold the same amount of oobleck, and because they’re so much smaller, they’re harder to squeeze.
What else can you put in a DIY stress ball?
Making your own stress ball is SO FUN, and there are a ton of different items you can add into stress balls to give them a fun and unique texture. Water beads have an amazing squishiness to them, so the Orbeez stress balls we made are one of our favourites! And did you know you can make a playdough stress ball?! So cool! But you can also make stress balls with every day pantry ingredients like rice or flour.
Kids will have fun guessing if the balloon is filled with a liquid or a solid. Stress balls are such a fun way to relieve anxiety, and this oobleck stress ball is like a stress reliever and a science experiment in one fun package!
Here’s even more fun craft ideas:
How to Make Oobleck
Orbeez Stress Ball
How to Make a Stress Ball
Our book Low-Mess Crafts for Kids is loaded with 72 fun and simple craft ideas for kids! The projects are fun, easy and most importantly low-mess, so the clean up is simple!
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