Iowa Public Television

What types of things come down from the sky? Snow, fog, sunshine, rain, and in this session Oobleck! Presenter reads Bartholomew and the Oobleck by Dr. Seuss and engages students in interdisciplinary activities designed to foster learning while having fun with science. During the session students perform experiments with their own Oobleck that can be made using the recipe below.

Following the ICN session, registrants receive a complimentary titled, "Science Fair Success Secrets" for their classroom.

TEACHERS AGREE TO PROVIDE EACH STUDENT WITH THE FOLLOWING MATERIALS FOR THE EVENT:

Oobleck
a large mixing bowl
mixing spoon
green food coloring
10 cups cornstarch
6 cups of room temperature water

Put water in the large bowl and add food coloring drop by drop until the water turns green. Now mix in the cornstarch a cup at a time. Mix thoroughly. Have some extra cornstarch available for thickening the mixture. Making Oobleck can be tricky. You will know when you have reached the right consistancy when it appears to be a solid when you are stirring but yet runs off the end of your spoon. Place a glob (two to three tablespoons) of the mixture in a zippered sandwich bag and give to each of the students. Students will then be able to handle the Oobleck through the bags. This will save having to wash hands during/after the ICN session. If bags are not available, you may choose to wait until you are back in your classrooms after the session to make your Oobleck. This recipe makes enough for approximately 30 students.

Feel free to have students wear Dr. Seuss hats or other "Seussish" costumes to the session.

Session Related Web sites:

• Welcome to Seussville (www.seussville.com) -Random House site for kids. Includes interactive games, contests and information on Seuss and his works.
• Learning with Dr. Seuss (www.teachingheart.net/thedrsuesspage.html/) -A resource for teachers and parents including printable activity sheets and lesson ideas to accompany Seuss's books.
• PBS Learning Media (iptv.pbslearningmedia.org) -PBS LearningMedia™ is your destination for easy, instant access to tens of thousands of classroom-ready, digital resources including videos and interactives perfect for the Interactive Whiteboard, plus audio and photos, and even in-depth lesson plans. You can search, save, and share with ease. Best of all, PBS LearningMedia™ is free for educators.
• A to Z Teacher Stuff Network (atozteacherstuff.com/themes/Seuss.shtml) - A directory of online lesson plans, activities and resources for building a theme on Dr. Seuss and his books.

PBS Teachers (http://www.pbs.org/Teachers) - PBS Teachers offers free lesson plans, professional development and more for preK-12 educators.

Are you new to the ICN experience? If so, take a moment to view the IPTV K-12 Connections Frequently Asked Questions and Keys to a Successful Session.

Applicable standards from McREL:

Science Standards: Earth and Space Sciences

Level I [Grades K-2]
2. Knows that water can be a liquid or a solid and can be made to change from one form to the other, but the amount of water stays the same

Science Standards: Physical Sciences

Level II [Grades 3-5]
1. Knows that matter has different states (i.e., solid, liquid, gas) and that each state has distinct physical properties; some common materials such as water can be changed from one state to another by heating or cooling

Classroom Resources:

The following related programs are available on IPTV's broadcast or from the AEAs: (Check the k-12 Classroom Television (www.iptv.org/k12catalog) Web site for broadcast dates and times.)

• CYBERCHASE (Grade Level: 2-6)

Check out the Classroom Resources for additional materials prepared and compiled by IPTV K-12 Connections staff.

Sessions are provided at no cost by Iowa Public Television in collaboration with the Iowa Communications Network to PK-12 students and the adults working with or on behalf of PK-12 students in Iowa. If you are not employed by a school district or an AEA please register at library sites only.