Crazy Cornflour

We have been having lots of fun this week in our mini classes making cornflour prints.  This is a great activity to try at home as most people have some cornflour sitting at the back of a cupboard (probably out of date…don’t worry, it will still work!).  All you need is cornflour and paint and you are off, creating beautiful marbled patterns which can be printed from over and over again.  For those who have never tried using cornflour in this way it is a bit of a revelation.  In the tub it will appear to be solid but scoop some up in your hand and, hey presto, it turn into a runny liquid.  Drop it onto a tray and it will turn into a solid again.  We created these marbled effects by doing this repeatedly with a few different colours and then pressing some plain paper onto the marbled pattern that had formed in the tray.  This is such a simple activity but one that will keep little ones busy for ages as they watch the cornflour change state and create beautiful patterns.

Here’s what you need:

1 cup of cornflour

a squeeze of paint

water

Method:

Put the cornflour in a bowl.  Add the paint and a splash of water.  Mix. Add a bit more water until the consistency is liquid while you are stirring but appears solid when you stop.  Provide spoons, lolly sticks and other scooping/chopping utensils although you may find that hands are preferred! Mix up a few different colours, place in a tray allow them to explore!