Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Other subjects

an idea for the summer.....custard balls

12 replies

Blandmum · 08/07/2006 12:16

An idea for the summer to play with in the garden.

Make up some custard powder with water....just enough to get it to a cream consistancy.

(i) Corn flour slime can be stirred, punched, poured and rolled into a ball. Corn flour slime is an example of a non-Newtonian fluid. The rate at which it flows is affected by shear forces as well as temperature. (ii) Add water to corn starch, then pour it, throw it and punch it.
(iii) Mix custard powder with water while stirring until it feels strange when you squeeze it with your hand. The custard should stick to your finger. Push a spoon handle through the custard mixture so that it leaves a clean cut groove that swiftly fills with liquid custard again. Pick up some custard mixture and roll it into a ball between your hands. It feels slimy if you mixed it well. Keep moving the custard so that it forms a ball. Stop moving the custard ball and becomes a liquid. Custard powder contains finely ground corn flour, colouring and flavouring. The corn flour particles link together if you put pressure on them but will separate when the pressure stops. If you keep squeezing, the links join and the custard stays in a ball. The pressure of the spoon handle causes a clean cut, but as soon the spoon handle passes, the custard becomes liquid again.

In oter words you can make 'balls' of custard which turn back into liquid when you throw them!

Excellent garden fun!!!!!!

£1.40 for a tub of powder.....several hours fun

OP posts:
Marina · 08/07/2006 12:17

martianbishop I am torn between the persuasive and lively way you promote this activity and the prospect of a rainless custard-spattered garden all summer

NotQuiteCockney · 08/07/2006 12:18

We play with corn flour and water (and colouring) at the nursery sometimes. It is really really weird stuff. Behaves totally counterinuitively.

Marina · 08/07/2006 12:19

Two words leap out there NQC at nursery. IE, not on your own premises

southeastastra · 08/07/2006 12:20

i have loads of pigeons i think they will eat all the custard, im gonna try this though!

Blandmum · 08/07/2006 12:22

Thankfully we are not on a drought area of the UK and so can hoze down the guarden at the end.....We are economising on water in all other ways before I get zapped by the MN police.

You have to try it it is utterly amazing!!!!

Put your finger in it slowly, it acts as a liquid.....pll it out fast and it acts like a solid.

Posh term....a non-newtonian liquid.

We did it at school open day and the kids (and parents) wer goc smacked!

OP posts:
PandaG · 08/07/2006 12:28

I love playing with cornflour goop, I do it with mindees sometimes - lioke the idea of a custard ball fight in the garden but just a bit unsure about the mess. Maybe will do it if heaby rain then forecast!

NotQuiteCockney · 08/07/2006 13:23

Corn flour is maybe less messy than custard goo? Does the custard powder have sugar in it?

It really isn't that messy, it dries up and can be swept up, in the end.

Harold · 08/07/2006 13:34

I've done this. Custard gloop imo is better than normal gloop as it is yellow and has a nice smell.

Jbck · 08/07/2006 18:12

Gloop is my dd's favourite thing about nursery & she's been going for nearly 2 years, thought the novelty would have worn off by now.

SoupDragon · 08/07/2006 18:15

You can't have a custard ball fight because the custard ball will stop being a ball as soon as you stop squeezing it. ie it will cover you or your own feet in custard.

sugarfree · 08/07/2006 18:16

Custard powder doesn't have sugar in.

Another custard powder fact....it was invented by a man(Mr Bird?) because his wife loved custard but was allergic to eggs.

Blandmum · 08/07/2006 18:46

sd....depends how hard you throw it!

It becomes liquid when you lob it and a solid when it hits someone!

Just did it with the kids.
1.40 for an hour of madness and mayhem. 10 minutes to clear up with a hose!!!

Jobs a good un.

If you want real custard balls you can mix it with borax, which causes cross linking and real 'balls' LOL!

OP posts:
New posts on this thread. Refresh page