Science Club Experiments with Oobleck
Science Club President Kate Jernigan ‘20 instructs members on how to make oobleck.
Bailey Armosky ‘20 and Sarah Armosky ‘20 knead the ingredients with their hands to make oobleck. Sarah has been a member of Science Club since last year. “I joined [Science Club] because Kate [the president] said that we would get to do some fun experiments and learn things.”
Science Club members socialize while they collect ingredients and supplies.
Jenny Tran ’20 shows off her finished oobleck that acts like a solid when stretched out.
Jenny Tran ‘20 judges the consistency of her pink oobleck as she wonders if she should add more cornstarch. Tran has been in Science Club since the end of her sophomore year and looks forward to more experiments in future meetings. “We have a lot of cool experiments planned. We want to try and go outside because we have never done that before,” Tran said.
Caleb Farris ’20 and Rushil Udani ‘20 test out whether their oobleck has reached the ideal semi-solid consistency. “I have made oobleck before when I was in third grade,” Farris said.
Laughs bounced around the room as numerous students observed the goo-like substance hanging from their hands. On Wednesday, Sept. 18, members of the Science Club participated in an enjoyable experiment where students combined cornstarch and water to make oobleck, while also learning about the scientific basis for the activity.
After watching a demonstration of the process, members could partner up to make the substance, or do it on their own. There was room for creativity as students had the freedom to add coloring to their creation and test different ratios of cornstarch to water. Some of the participants adjusted their experiment after observing their results.
“It was pretty fun just to go through trial and error and get the right consistency,” Caleb Farris ‘20 said. “Part of the fun of it is that you get to do science in an informal setting, and a lot of the time it’s really interesting to see how things interact, but whenever you do it in class, it’s a lot more organized and there’s less enjoyment.”
This was just one of the many experiments organized for the club this year. The officers have a variety of plans prepared for members to be able to enjoy, while at the same time gain knowledge about the science behind their activities.
“Last week we made homemade lava lamps,” Kate Jernigan ‘20 said. “Every year we do fire riding and set ourselves on fire once. We do a lot of surface tension experiments because those are pretty easy to do after-school.”
Students love the experiments done during the club meetings and appreciate the education they receive from the exciting experiences. This environment of joy and learning is part of the objective of the Science Club.
“The goal of the club is to let anyone who wants to enjoy doing fun science experiments,” Jernigan said. “In class, sometimes, you have to take notes and it’s not as fun, and so we just want anyone that’s in a science class or not, to be able to have a place to do fun stuff.”
Meetings are on every orange day Wednesday and more information can be found below.
Website: https://sites.google.com/view/wwscienceclub/home?authuser=0
Instagram: @westwoodsciclub
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