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Unicorn Sensory Bin with Oobleck

This Unicorn Sensory Bin with Oobleck is a fun hands-on science activity for kids. Learn how to make pink oobleck and put together this easy sensory activity.

Unicorns are having a moment. Go into any store, and you’ll find something with a unicorn horn within minutes.

My daughter is crazy about unicorns! If you have unicorn-loving kids in your house too, they will adore this super-fun, and science-themed unicorn sensory bin!

We also have a Unicorn Density Tower Experiment that my daughter did for her school science fair project. If your kids love learning about space, you should check out our Galaxy Oobleck recipe.

Looking for a fun learning activity for kids? Engage their senses with this magical unicorn sensory bin plus oobleck recipe. Great science experiment for preschool and kindergarten children!

How Does Oobleck Work?

This sensory bin uses cornstarch and water to make oobleck, which is a non-Newtonian liquid.

Non-Newtonian fluids have properties of both a liquid and a solid. When allowed to rest, the molecules relax and act like liquid. But when force is applied, the molecules seize up and the oobleck acts like a solid!

It’s an amazing thing to play with, particularly when unicorns and rainbows are involved.

Making a Unicorn Sensory Bin

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This super-fun unicorn sensory bin is perfect for keeping kids occupied indoors, especially for a playdate. Both little kids and older kids will have a blast, too! We love trying a variety of open ended play ideas for preschoolers and this one was popular with my kids.

We recommend adult supervision for this activity.

Unicorn Sensory Bin Materials and Oobleck Ingredients:

Directions for Making Oobleck and Creating a Unicorn Sensory Bin :

You’ll want to make the oobleck before giving this to your kids to play with.

Be warned, oobleck is MESSY. I recommend playing with it on a surface you don’t care about messing up, like a kitchen counter or bathtub. Or, spread out a disposable tablecloth or newspapers under the play tray.

Supplies for oobleck and unicorn sensory bin

Mix about 2 cups of corn starch with food coloring. We used pink, but you can add any color you want!

How to make pink oobleck

Add water slowly until it forms a slime-like substance.

Learning through play with oobleck

If you can still pick it up with your hands and form a hard ball, but it starts to ooze out of your hands as soon as you relax, it is ready.

Setting up unicorn sensory bin for kids

Place the unicorns in the oobleck along with the erasers. The kids will love seeing how they can get the unicorns to rest in the oobleck.

One kid was even able to get the unicorn to stick in her hand upside down, which was pretty cool.

My preschooler insisted on sorting the objects in the sensory bin by type. It was really fun to see how each kid played differently in the sensory bin, but all had fun!

While the kids play, ask them to observe how the oobleck looks, moves, and feels. Introduce them to terms for states of matter, such as liquids, solids, and non-Newtonian fluids.

It’s fascinating and a fun way to play with science. We hope you and your family enjoy making your own unicorn sensory bin with oobleck! If your kids prefer slime, check out our Leprechaun Slime Activity.

Looking for a fun learning activity for kids? Engage their senses with this magical unicorn sensory bin plus oobleck recipe. Great science experiment for preschool and kindergarten children!

More kids learning activities:

Tobi

Thursday 24th of August 2023

Does the oobleck stick to the toys? I am thinking about doing this in my classroom but some of the hard toys go with other sets.

Darcy Zalewski

Thursday 24th of August 2023

The oobleck can stick to them but I was able to easily rinse everything off. I actually let the oobleck sit out and dry up before I cleaned everything, and it seemed a lot easier than doing it when it was still wet. Maybe make a tiny amount of oobleck to test with one or two of the toys you were thinking of using? I love the messy fun, but completely understand wanting it to be simple to clean up with a group.

UNICORN SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS AND STEM ACTIVITIES

Thursday 5th of April 2018

[…] Unicorn Oobleck // Life with Darcy and Brian […]

Angie ~ ambient wares

Tuesday 28th of March 2017

Well, this looks like so much fun. I'd be the best aunt in the world if I had this at the ready ;) Thank you for sharing with us at Funtastic Friday!

Darcy Zalewski

Monday 3rd of April 2017

You certainly would be, Angie! :)

Hil

Wednesday 22nd of March 2017

My daughter would love this!!! So super cute!

Darcy Zalewski

Saturday 25th of March 2017

Thanks! It's such a fun and bright sensory bin. :)

Stayathome Science

Sunday 19th of March 2017

We do various versions of oobleck a lot in our house (I was a science teacher for 10 years) but I really like your theme of unicorns! I'm going to try this with my son using plastic bugs and worms.

Darcy Zalewski

Monday 20th of March 2017

Oobleck is so fun to play with. I love the idea of using bugs and worms!