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NIDA Home > NIDA Goes to School > Brain Power! Grades 2-3 > Module 1 > Materials/Preparation    

Brain Power! The NIDA Junior Scientist Program: Grades 2-3



Ooey Gooey! Making Sense of Scientific Inquiry (Module 1)

Materials

  • Five or six bags of goo
  • Cornstarch
  • Sugar
  • Talc
  • Water
  • Five or six medium-sized bowls
  • Five or six measuring cups and spoons
  • Plastic bags with a seal
  • NIDA Junior Scientist videotape
  • Stirrers
  • Instruction sheets
  • Log sheets

Preparation

1. Prepare five or six bags of goo by following the instructions below:
  • Measure 4 cup of cornstarch and put it in a bowl.
  • Add about 32 teaspoons of water to the cornstarch. The mixture should be thick enough to shape into a ball. You may have to adjust the amount of water so that it is not too dry and not too wet.
  • Duplicate the recipe so that you have five or six bags of goo, one for each group.
  • Make sure you put each batch of goo in a plastic bag with a seal. If not, the water may evaporate, and the goo will dry out.

You may want to have parent volunteers or instructional assistants
available to help in the preparation of the bags of goo.


2. For the second half of the activity, measure the following materials and lay them out for each group of students:

  • 4 cup of cornstarch
  • 4 cup of sugar
  • 4 cup of talc
  • 32 teaspoons of water
  • Spoons and stirrers

If possible, have at least one other adult in the room
while the children are working on the experiment.


3. This activity will take 2 days to complete. On the first day, show the students the video, hand out the log sheets, and have them work on the experiment. On the second day, students can record their results and discuss what they learned.

Module 1 Contents

Module 1 Documents

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Brain Power

Module 1 Module 2
Module 3 Module 4
Module 5 Module 6

Ordering Information

This package can be ordered by calling 1-877-NIDA-NIH and request "BPPACK"

Or it can be ordered online at backtoschool.drugabuse.gov.


Contact Information

For questions regarding NIDA's Science Education Program and Materials, contact Cathrine Sasek, Ph.D., e-mail: csasek@nih.gov.



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