Tuesday, April 15, 2008

GAK!

Here's something fun to make with the kids. Its easy and fun, and a bit scientific.


The ingredients, Elmer's Glue, liquid starch and food coloring.


Pour 1 c Elmer's glue into a bowl, then mix in the food coloring.


Pour in 1 c liquid starch and start stirring.


This is where it gets fun, when the two mix, they start to get thick.


Pretty soon it turns stretchy.


Violet is looking a little bit concerned.


After a bit more stirring, it all comes together into a solid mass. It is sort of stretchy, sort of gooey and lots of fun.



A few notes:

If it seems too sticky, mix in more starch.

It does stick to clothes and the carpet. Don't worry, it comes out easily in the wash or with warm water and a bit of rubbing. You might want to keep it on a tray or in the kitchen. Wren stuck a glob on his head once, AHH! I just stuck him in the bath and it pretty much dissolved with warm water and a wash cloth.

Not all glue is equal. Elmer's is the best, and glue you get from school supply stores works. But the glue I bought at the dollar store did not work!

Gak should last for a month or so if kept in a tight container.

9 comments:

Diane Gilleland said...

This is AWESOME! I laughed so hard. That photo of Violet looking at the stuff as if it were alive is priceless.

. . . I really need to borrow some kids so I can play with things like this.

mushroommeadows said...

I've made something similar, but the other ingredient was borax. I did it with a junior high class, and they absolutely loved it.

Violet is too cute. :)

Christi said...

How much starch did you use? This would be great for a summer day!

Hello, I'm Sally. said...

Thanks Christi for pointing out that I left out the amount of liquid starch! I edited the post, but basically you use equal amounts of glue and starch. Also good to know, the gak should be gooey, but if at any point it is too sticky, just mix in more liquid starch.

Michie said...

I've made this in my classroom - I'm a special ed teacher and am all about sensory projects! I just had to say how cute that picture of your daughter is. :)

Jessica said...

I too have made something like this for my kiddos at work. I'm a Speech Pathologist and do lots of sensory/hands-on things. In fact, we made Oobleck this week and it was tuns of fun...just 1 c. water and 1 c. dry cornstarch. The result was similar along with a side of lots of laughter and smiles!

Rachel said...

Thanks for sharing this recipe - I remember how cool this stuff was when I was younger and I bet my 2 year old would think it was AWESOME!!!

Anonymous said...

hey there! love this post and thanks so much for the instructions. gorgeous colorful photos as well.

just featured it on Yahoo! Shine here:

http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/parenting/crafty-mamas-help-their-kids-make-gak-226073/

Anne said...

I can't wait to try this gak recipe! Also, I just found your blog through a gak search, and I can't wait to keep reading!