NNFN2023 Ideas: Oobleck

Goop is great fun to make and explore- and offers plenty to discuss as it doesn’t behave as you think it should! Is it solid? Is it liquid? This substance is known as Oobleck and gets its unusual name from a Dr Seuss story, Bartholomew and the Oobleck. It is a non-Newtonian fluid, meaning it doesn’t follow Newton’s law of viscosity. Non-Newtonian fluids become runnier or thicker when the force on them changes and children are enthralled by how this substance can be both liquid and solid!

To make the goop, you need cornflour, water and food colouring in whatever colours you fancy! The measurements are not exact as it needs to be mixed to the right consistency and it is a good idea to protect surfaces and clothing as much as possible- I speak from experience!

Mix the water and food colouring into the cornflour, until it reaches a thick consistency. If you make smaller batches in different colours, children can experiment with mixing these and observing what happens.

Another fun way to explore oobleck is to freeze it. Put the mixture in an ice cube tray or other mould, then put it in the freezer for several hours. Things like flower petals can be added to the mixture to create interest. It will thaw slowly whilst being played with, offering more opportunities for scientific discussions!

Although I have never tried this, I have been reliably informed by colleagues that fluffy oobleck can be created by putting some cornflour in a bowl and adding shaving foam on top. Food colouring can be added if required and everything needs to be mixed, adding more cornflour or shaving foam until the desired consistency has been achieved.

Enjoy feeling the texture and discussing the properties of the goop whilst making patterns and shapes in the mixture. Great fun for everyone!

NNFN2023 Ideas: Instant Ice Cream

This idea is instantly appealing because it has both ‘WOW’ and ‘YUM’ factors! The link https://learning.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/resources/instant-ice-cream/ takes you to the Science Museum website where it explains how to conduct the experiment - and offers additional things to try which will encourage scientific discussions and spark curiosity! I know, strictly speaking, it has little to do with the theme of ‘Wonderful Water’- but it’s a great way of engaging children and might lead to looking a recipe books to investigate other ice cream recipes as well as science books to explain the science. (Thankfully, the web page offers an explanation for those of us who need one!)

We had excellent fun as a family making this! Enjoy!

NNFN2023 Ideas: Lemonade Lollies

Perhaps this is more of a summer-time make, but who doesn’t love a lolly? With the theme of NNFN being ‘Wonderful Water’, this is a simple, enjoyable activity which offers plenty to discuss as well as resulting in a tasty treat! This idea is not included in the FCBG booklet- but makes a refreshing accompaniment to any book session.

To create about 18 (small-ish!) lollies, you will need 6 juicy, unwaxed lemons, 250ml of runny honey, 100 ml of cold water and 18 (or as many as you require!) clean, empty yoghurt pots with a lolly stick for each one.

First, finely grate the zest from 3 of the lemons and place the zest in a pan with the honey and 500ml of water. Bring to the boil and then remove from the heat. Squeeze the juice from all the lemons. Next, strain the honey and lemon water through a sieve into a bowl and pour in some of the lemon juice. Stir and taste, adding more juice until it tastes just right!*

Leave the lemonade to cool in the fridge and then add the rest of the water to dilute it. Stir the mixture well before pouring an equal amount into each of the yoghurt pots. Place in the freezer until partially set before pushing a lolly stick into each one. Return the pots to the freezer until each is completely solid. Finally- enjoy!

* At this point, the juice will make a zesty drink. Pour a little of the mixture into a glass and top up with fizzy or still water. Add slices of lemon and ice cubes if required. Or you could make a lemon sorbet!

This activity offers plenty of scientific concepts to discuss and children might like to make one of the books suggested to record the recipe so that they can make this tasty drink again and again!

Don’t forget to look at our booklet for lots more ideas to support celebrating NNFN23.

NNFN2023 Ideas: Postcard Competition

The theme this year is ‘Wonderful Water’, and our competition has been inspired by ‘Sea Change: Save the Ocean’, edited by Tobias Hickey of the International Centre for the Picture Book in Society at Worcester University. Published by Otter-Barry Books, this is a collection of original postcards and messages from 50 illustrators across the world, working to celebrate and protect the precious life in our oceans.

To enter, children are invited to create their own postcard. On one side, they should create (paint/ draw/ collage/ print etc) a picture of their favourite watery location and then on the reverse, write about why this place is so important to them.

There are three age group categories: 5-7 (30-40 words) 8-10 (40-60 words) 11-12 (60-100 words)

 Each will be judged on their originality, creativity and presentation, according to age.

Please send entries to Sea Change Competition, 123 Frederick Road, Cheam, Sutton, SM1 2HT

or email to nnfn@fcbg.org.uk

Closing date: Monday 4th December 2023

Inspired by the gorgeous illustrations created by the contributors to ‘Sea Change’, we decided to play around with some ideas for creating the picture side of a postcard. Living close to the sea, beaches and seaside trips were a common theme when discussing places which are important.

Encaustic work is a form of painting which involves using heated wax. The molten wax is then applied to a surface, usually wood or canvas. The word ‘encaustic’ originates from the Ancient Greek ἐγκαυστικός, which means ‘burning in’ and the oldest examples of this art form are the Romano-Egyptian mummy portraits from around 100-300 AD. These days, small irons are generally used to melt the wax which is then applied to card, paper or other surfaces.

As a teacher, I have enjoyed teaching children Encaustic art as part of work on the Egyptians. When keen to have a turn at something (and I have never known a child who hasn’t wanted to have a go at this!), they are keen to pay attention to safety guidance and quick to understand and follow ‘rules’. Working with a small group, however, is much easier. Having watched a demonstration and experimented a little, everyone was keen to have a go!

Soon, filled with confidence, lots of experimentation was taking place and much ooohing and aaahing as different effects were discovered and more colours added! We have more ideas to explore and share before anyone decides what they might use as their entry to the competition, but everyone agreed encaustic art is great fun!

NNFN2023 Ideas: Accordion Books

A booklet of ideas for NNFN is available to download here. This has been developed to offer some practical suggestions which FCBG groups- or anyone- might like to use to celebrate non-fiction during November… or at anytime of the year!

During October, some ideas from the booklet will be explored here in more detail, starting today with Accordion Books. Also known as Zig-Zag books, these little booklets make an attractive, fun way to present facts, instructions or information which children have collected. In its simplest form, the book can be square or rectangular, but with older or more dextrous children, it can take a shape which links to the subject it contains.

The easiest way to make one of these books is to take a sheet of A4 paper and fold this into eight sections as shown above. This can then be cut along the horizontal central line to create two strips of four sections each. Take one of these strips and fold the sections in a zig-zag pattern (see middle picture). If desired, a cover can be added as shown in the final picture. Larger books can be created by carefully sticking a second strip to the first and both sides of each page can be written on.

A simple house shape can create a book the shape of a building- or with a little imagination, can be used for a character wearing a hat, like the witch pictured above. Father Christmas or an elf might make an appealing Christmas themed book or Red Riding Hood, Robin Hood or a princess could make the cover!

A domed shape lends itself to all manner of adaptations, for example, faces of animals and people- upside down the curve could be a beard - and a cut out section at the bottom (see second photo) adds legs. The dipped curve at the top offers the suggestion of horns or antlers. The whole book could, of course, take the shape of something, e.g. a train or an animal, but this takes some planning to make into a zig-zag book.

Hope this is helpful…more to come soon!