# Sudsy Goop
> Mix sudsy body-wash water into cornstarch until it reaches a pancake-batter consistency, then color and scent it with food color and Kool-Aid. The result is a bubbly, squishy goop that still behaves like regular oobleck.
- URL: https://www.funlittles.com/sensory-activities-with-sudsy-goop/
- Ages: 2–8 yrs · Difficulty: easy · Mess: high
- Time: prep 10 min, activity 30 min
- Works for: one-on-one, small group, whole class · one batch serves about 1 kids
- Skills: sensory-exploration, science, fine-motor, mark-making
- Cautions: corn, food-dye, ingestion-risk

## Materials (one batch)
- Cornstarch
- Body wash or baby wash (household)
- Water (household)
- Food color (yellow)
- 1 packet Kool-Aid drink mix packet (pink lemonade) (optional)
- 2 piece Bowls for soapy water and mixing (household)
- 1 piece Large shallow plastic tub or sensory bin

## Substitutions
- Instead of food color: Powdered paint (A reader suggests powdered paint if you don't want it to stain.)
- Instead of body wash: Baby wash (The author's pick to keep it tear free.)
- Instead of food color: Kool-Aid drink mix only (The author says to add food color or Kool-Aid. Kool-Aid also adds scent.)

## Safety
- Not taste-safe: this goop contains soap (body wash or baby wash). It smells like lemonade from the Kool-Aid, so remind kids not to taste it and supervise mouthing toddlers closely.
- Soap can sting eyes. The author suggests baby wash to keep it tear free. Keep goopy hands away from faces and rinse eyes with water if needed.
- Supervise sensory play at all times.
- Spilled goop is slippery. Wipe up drips on hard floors right away.
- Food color and Kool-Aid can stain hands, clothes and surfaces.

## Before you start
- Cover the play area or set the tub where spills are easy to clean, and dress kids in old clothes (or as little clothing as possible for toddlers).

## Steps
1. Squirt a few squirts of body wash or baby wash into a bowl of water and swish to make sudsy water.
2. Put cornstarch in a bowl or tub.
3. Pour the sudsy water into the cornstarch and mix. Kids can do the mixing too!
4. Stop mixing when it looks like pancake batter.
5. Add yellow food color and a packet of pink lemonade Kool-Aid for color and scent.
6. Want more goop? Add more cornstarch and soapy water and pour it into the play tub.
7. Squish the soapy goop with your hands.
8. Scratch it with your fingers and make marks.
9. Pat it and pop the bubbles.
10. Pick it up and watch it drip: it feels solid when you squeeze it and runs like a liquid when you let go.

## Tips
- Adding sudsy water to cornstarch gives a different consistency than regular goop. Stop mixing when you get a pancake-like batter.
- Match the Kool-Aid flavor with the body wash scent. Next time I'd add lemon Kool-Aid and a body wash with lemon essence.
- To keep it tear free you can always use baby wash.
- Add lavender fragrance to calm down, or maybe lemon or orange to make play time exciting and fun.
- My toddler was in sensory heaven with this one. I can't say enough about the scent: Kool-Aid plus baby wash!
- The best part is that the soapy goop is bubbly and squishy but still behaves like regular goop.
- Use powdered paint for color if you don't want it to stain. (from readers)
- A teacher found it a hot mess to clean up with 3rd-5th graders. Dress a toddler in as little clothing as possible. (from readers)

## FAQ
**What is goop?** Goop (oobleck) is a non-Newtonian fluid. It acts like a solid when pressure is applied, like holding and squeezing it, and like a liquid when left alone.
**How is sudsy goop different from regular goop?** Using soapy water instead of plain water gives a different, bubbly, pancake-batter consistency, but it still behaves like regular goop.
**How is the cleanup?** The post doesn't cover cleanup. A teacher replied that it's a hot mess to clean up with 3rd-5th graders and suggested having a toddler in as little clothing as possible.
**Will it stain?** Food color and Kool-Aid can stain. A reader suggests powdered paint for color if you don't want staining.

## The original post by TurkeyMom (2013)

You all know how to make oobleck/goop. Just in case you are not aware of this wonderful play compound, goop is a non-Newtonian fluid which acts like a solid when pressure is applied ( holding and playing) and acts as a liquid when left alone. Check out our **[Rainbow Goop](https://www.funlittles.com/quick-play-idea-with-colorful-oobleck/)** post to see how we made play time more fun. For more [**sensory activities**](https://www.funlittles.com/category/sensory-bins/) visit our category page. That particular day my 2.5 year old toddler was demanding bubbles and oobleck. So that's what we did. I added a few squirts of body wash and made sudsy water and added that to cornstarch.

- Make soapy water with a few squirts of body wash or baby wash
- Add sudsy water to cornstarch
- Mix until you get a batter like consistency.
- Add Food Color or Kool-aid for added color/scent

 I added the soapy water and cornstarch and kept mixing them together until I got the right consistency. I even had my toddler do the mixing for extra fun. Adding sudsy water to cornstarch gave us a different consistency than regular **[goop](https://www.funlittles.com/play-recipes-using-cornstarch-for-art-activities-and-sensory-activities/)**.

 We got a **pancake like batter** and that's when I stopped mixing. I added yellow food color with the plan of making a lemon goop. To give it more zing I added a whole packet of pink lemonade Kool-Aid and it smelt delicious. Kool-Aid is a drink mix readily available on Amazon. (Refer to links to the materials used at the bottom of the post)



Since my toddler wanted more goop, I added more cornstarch and soapy water and let her have a go at it.



Our sudsy goop looked beautiful and smelt wonderful!



She squished the soapy goop.



She scratched and made marks.



and patted..

 The best part was that the soapy goop in addition to being bubbly and squishy, behaved like regular goop.

 We stopped to pop the bubbles and were playing with it just like plain old goop. Sensory activities are great for children to both calm down and explore and learn. Add lavender fragrance to calm down and may be lemon or orange to make play time exciting and fun. TIP: Next time I'd add Lemon Kool -Aid and add a body wash with lemon essence. Generally match the Kool aid flavor with the matching body wash. To keep it tear free you can always add baby wash.

But, that's not all. Come back tomorrow and see our [**"life after goop" post.**](https://www.funlittles.com/sensory-activities-reviving-soapy-goop/)

Thanks for reading.

Check out our rainbow goop 

[](https://www.funlittles.com/sensory-activities-reviving-soapy-goop/)

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