Theory Thursday: Phlegm

The kids got a science experiment book for Christmas. I was reading the different options to them. As soon as I came to mock phlegm, Jake was settled on it. What could be better than making your very own bodily excretion?

What? You don't make phlegm just for the fun of it???

These are all the supplies you need to make some disgusting mucus-y gunk to trick your friends!

Dump 1/2 cup cornstarch into a resealable plastic bag.

 Pour in 1/4 cup light corn syrup.

 Add a dropperful of water.

 Seal the bag and squish it around to combine the ingredients.

Alyssa wanted nothing to do with the bag. She touched it one time . . . felt the goopy-ness . . . and refused to squish it anymore. Such a girl. 

Jake, on the other hand, loved smooshing the gross concoction.

The mixture was way too thick. We had a difficult time getting rid of the clumps of cornstarch. It would probably help to sift it first. We added another dropper of water.

 Alyssa eventually got over the gross factor and squished it around.

The mixture was still too thick, so we added more water.

Still too thick; more water.

Not sticky enough, added more corn syrup.

At this point, it was starting to get to the proper consistency. We added a tiny bit of cornstarch since it was a bit too thin and a couple drops of yellow food coloring to make it more realistic.

 Then came the real test. How did it feel?

It was sticky . . . and slimy. . . and disgusting! Success!

It turned out a little too yellowy. One drop of food coloring would have done the trick. Jake said it looked like egg yolks.

He also said that the phlegm was "too cool!"

We're keeping the bag in the fridge so we have for next time we want to gross out Alyssa or their friends or even ourselves!

I admit, even I had fun covering my hands in the sticky substance. Now that's what I call "hands-on learning!"