Cornflour Goop

I like the idea of goop, but oh — it’s so messy isn’t it?  I’m sharing how I set up this sort of play.

Cornflour Goop Recipe

Ingredients:

1 packet (300 grams) cornflour
1 cup water
Food colouring (optional)

Method:

1. Mix cornflour and water together
2. Add food colouring if desired

Outside Goop

* Find a shady area

* Provide a variety of bowls and utensils

* Clean up: hose down child and rinse bowls and utensils

Inside Goop

* Lay down an old sheet

* Provide a variety of bowls and utensils

* Clean up: bath children, wash sheet, rinse bowls and utensils

Yes, it’s messy, but it’s worthwhile because it has the potential to unlock creativity in kids.  After my kids were clean,  they went on to play happily for hours.  This is often the case when I invest a short period of intense, stimulating play: it tends to instigates many hours of unplanned creativity.

“Creativity requires a challenge to start a flow of new ideas, then a way to capture them.” — Robert Epstein