The Mystery Substance
By: Allison Schlageter
The Situation:
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It was a stormy night, in a goop factory, in a town, in a land far, far away.
When the lightening flashed, a mechanical malfunction occurred.
Substances were mixed in ways they were never mixed before. The lights
went out.
When the lights flickered on, a new, never before seen glop was discovered on
the production line.
It was sure to create happiness in the lives of all the boys and girls on Earth.
Problem:
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We do not know how this glop was made.
Known
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We do know that the only possible ingredients in this glop are:
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Elmer’s Glue
Liquid laundry starch
Food coloring
We do know that not all ingredients are necessary to produce the
desired glop consistency.
Your Quest:
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To mix up a glop that matches the consistency of the given sample
found on the production line when the lights flickered on.
To create a recipe, using measurements or ratios so the glop may
be recreated with ease by a fellow human being.
Things to explore:
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Order ingredients from those you used most of to those you used least of.
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Describe the consistency of the material to your neighbor.
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Choose one of the ingredients and describe its role in the recipe.
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Experiment with different mixtures.
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Plan a birthday party, and determine the amount of materials you must purchase if ten children
are attending.
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Make a prediction what will happen if you store this glop on the windowsill… in a baggie… in
the refrigerator… etc.
How to use this in the Elementary classroom
(Adaptable to pretty much any level)
Discuss the states of matter
Explore chemical reactions
 Introduce chemical bonding, in particular, polymer bonds
 Participation in the Scientific Process
 Introducing ratios in Math
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States of Matter
Chemical Reactions
Polymer Bonding
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W hen polymer molecules bond together, they form in long chains, making them strong and
stretchy. Think: plastics. Discuss life before plastics, how have polymers changed your life?
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Our glop is a polymer!
Our glop is stretchy!
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Explore different polymers in the classroom
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Check out this site, designed by Paul Lemur to learn more: http://www.pslc.ws/macrog/kidsmac/kfloor4.htm
The Scientific Process
Ratios
The Official Recipe
Materials: Elmer’s glue, liquid laundry starch, food coloring
Procedure: Mix food coloring into glue first.
Next, add ½ as much liquid laundry starch as you had glue.
parts glue to 1 part starch.
The official ratio is 2
**If the mixture is stick y, add more starch. If the mixture is too liquid-ey, mix it around in your
hands some more.
The result is a polymer similar to the Gak we played with as kids. Provide baggies for your
students so they can take it home.