Slime TV


EI TV - Educational Innovations BlogCertain things need to be seen to be believed.  Two guys playing soccer in a pool filled with slime—without sinking!— is certainly in that category.  Enjoy our collection of educational (and entertaining) videos about non-Newtonian fluids.  We think you’ll want to share them with your students.  Who knows, maybe you’ll build your OWN pool of slime!  If you come across an interesting video on slime, oobleck, or other gooey substances, please share with us in the comments section below. Read the rest of this entry »


Slime in the News


When we check the headlines each day, we’re usually not expecting to read about slime (unless it’s a review for Ghostbusters).  But lo and behold, there’s all sorts of slimy news to be found!

Slime in caverns, on rooftops, underwater, and more.  Read on for our gooey assortment of news related to slime, oobleck, and other non-Newtonian fluids.

If you find an interesting (and slimy) story, please share with us in the comments below!

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Slime Lesson


Lesson - Educational Innovations Blog

Non-Newtonian fluids are wonderful teaching tools for students of any age.  Just bring some slime, honey, ketchup, or sour cream into your classroom and the learning begins!  This fun lesson and worksheet makes it easy to teach students how to identify the properties of solids, liquids, and non-Newtonian fluids.

Lesson credit:  University of Waikato, New Zealand (www.sciencelearn.org.nz).

Click on the image below for a full-size, printable PDF version of this 3-page lesson.  Enjoy!

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You Said It! Slime Product Reviews


You Said It! Product Reviews - Educational Innovations NewsletterWe love finding new products to share with our customers.  Our goal at Educational Innovations is to provide you with all sorts of “Super! Wow! Neat!”® science that will ensure your students are learning… and having fun.  But if we had to pick one favorite from our long list of best-selling materials, it would be slime, hands down.

Call it goop, oobleck, slime, or gak—one thing is certain:  this stuff is HANDS-ON like nothing else!  It’s simply fantastic as a teaching tool, whether you’re discussing polymers, viscosity, cross-linking, shear stress, non-Newtonian fluids, or anything else you can think of!  Plus, it’s always good for laughs.

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Demystifying the Poly Density Bottle


Dr. Kenneth Lyle, Duke University Department of Chemistryby Dr. Kenneth Lyle

The demonstration

The Poly Density Bottle is a fascinating demonstration primarily due to the phenomena being counterintuitive to what one would expect.  The bottle containing white and blue beads suspended in a clear and colorless liquid is shaken vigorously, distributing the beads randomly throughout (bottle A).  Upon standing, the beads separate from one another (bottle B) with the white rising to the surface while the blue sink to the bottom (bottle C).  Then, the two sets of beads move towards one another (bottle D) meeting near the middle (bottle E).  This demonstration can be easily repeated again and again.  And, once prepared, it can be stored for subsequent use year after year.  No additional preparation is required. Read the rest of this entry »