A Silly Book & Hidden Monkeys Frozen Goop!
After reading Eileen Christelow’s “Five Little Monkeys Play Hide-and-Seek” we decided to set up a new sensory experience. We’ve played with goop (oobleck) many times before and absolutely love it, but we’ve never played with it frozen before! The opaqueness of it was perfect for hiding our little monkeys. If you’re looking for a fun hide-and-seek sensory activity, you’ve come to the right place. So, let’s get started…
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Summary of “5 Little Monkeys Play Hide & Seek”
“Five Little Monkeys Play Hide-and-Seek” by Eileen Christelow is a fun book with rhyming text that plays off of the classic “Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed” nursery rhyme. Mama tells the monkeys to behave for the babysitter; it seems like it might be a tall order but everything turns out alright in the end. Lots of counting throughout the book. Its a great bedtime story.
Hidden Monkeys Frozen Goop?
You might be wondering… “What do you do with it?” or “How is this not just going to be a sensory mess?” There are many ways to answer these two common questions…
First, the most basic answer to “What you could do with Hidden Monkeys Frozen Goop?” is… have Messy Fun. Sensory play at its finest is not about “doing” something specific. It is about exploring, feeling, listening, watching, problem solving, creating, etc… This is an open-ended activity. Just as each child has their own unique personality, experience, and preference in play, the outcome of this activity is just as special.
As for the second question, Yes, this can definitely be a messy one! But, I hear you. I’ve been asked that question many times. Therefore, a detailed answer, along with strategies for successful messy sensory play, can be found by reading, “What about the Sensory Mess?”
What We Did with Hidden Monkeys Frozen Goop…
We tend to keep the activities as simple as possible around here. We’re not interested in complicated or costly. We are also all about fostering independence. So, for this activity my daughter helped hide the monkeys and make the goop inside the balloons by adding all of the necessary ingredients. Of course her favorite part was shaking the liquid filled balloons before placing them in the freezer.
Is it a Good Idea to Make My Kid Wait?
You might be wondering if this is a good idea to do with younger kids as they don’t always have patience for waiting for things to freeze. I hear you, but my suggestion is that you absolutely include them.
My daughter was not born being patient about waiting, it is a skill she’s been working on since birth lol. This is how we worked on it. Of course there might be some disappointment but if you communicate from the start and have a plan, it will be okay.
How Do I Help them Learn to Wait?
I suggest letting them know before you even start that this is a cool activity for another day; maybe ask them if they know how long things take to melt. (I love asking kids questions like that, especially when their little. Its like asking them how old they think you are and they say 12, as if thats ancient to them lol).
Anyway, let them know what the plan is after you’ve prepped the activity. Having something else thats fun waiting in the wings helps to ease the wait. Maybe, “First we’re going to hide these monkeys, then we’re going to find the other monkeys!” (Note: hide the extra monkeys around the house).
Remember to praise their patience tomorrow when you’re taking the frozen goop out, “Wow! You did it, you waited and the goop froze! It’s time to find the monkeys!” (Note: the exclamation marks are to highlight the fact that you’re saying this enthusiastically 😉 )
How Did the Frozen Goop Turn Out?
We were very pleased with the end result. After opening the balloons, we noticed the goop and the monkey froze on the bottom; while the water froze on top, making an awesome two-tone effect. It also helped that the monkey was not in the center because it made it easier to free.
My daughter loved trying different ways to find and free the monkeys from the frozen goop. The warm water would make craters in the frozen goop; which encouraged her to try squeezing and squirting from different angles. The colors melted together in the large container and it looked beautiful.
The warm water she was using stayed on top while the melting goop stayed on the bottom (just like what we saw in the balloons); which naturally lent itself to a conversation about density.
Another cool part; was when we scraped up some goop from under the water it was still yellow and pink! You can see this in action by watching it in our “story highlight” on Instagram.
My daughter also figured out that she could draw in the colored frozen goop and make designs. It wasn’t until there was a lot of mixing and stirring that the color eventually turned beige. But even still, when you moved it around you could see blue waves pushing through.
Although the set up was more challenging than what we usually do around here, it was definitely worth it. I would suggest Hidden Monkey’s Frozen Goop sensory play if you’re looking for a captivating & cool activity to connect with your child.
Materials We Used
- “Five Little Monkeys Play Hide-and-Seek” by Eileen Christelow (from the library or buy it here)
- Large container
- Water
- Cornstarch
- Red, yellow & blue paint (or food coloring)
- Three balloons
- Monkeys
- Eye droppers/turkey baster/squeeze bottle/spray bottle
Click HERE for Free Printable copy (Email Subscribers Only)
How to Make Hidden Monkeys Frozen Goop?
- Have someone hold open a regular sized latex balloon with two fingers (better if a grown up does this part, its pretty challenging).
- The other person pushes one monkey into the balloon.
- Then scoops some cornstarch and pours it into the balloon using a spoon; (this can be messy do this over a tray).
- Next they put a squirt or two of paint (or a few drops of food coloring) into the balloon.
- Lastly, the person holding the balloon open can carefully place it on a sink faucet (like you would with a water balloon).
- Turn on the water slowly.
- Fill to the desired size; (ours were about the size of a softball).
- Shut off the water.
- Carefully remove the balloon from the faucet while squeezing the top so the stuff doesn’t escape.
- Let any air out slowly.
- Tie the balloon closed.
- Hand it to your child to shake, shake, shake!
- Place in the freezer (we put our on a cookie tray just in case; and I think it helps it freeze faster as its metal but I can’t say for certain).
- Let freeze overnight or until it is very firm.
Once frozen… - Cut the balloon open and peel it off the frozen goop.
- Ours looked opaque on the bottom (where the goop & monkey settled) and translucent on top (where the colored water rose).
- Place all 3 in a large container.
- Offer tools to excavate or melt the frozen goop, such as an eye dropper, turkey baster, squeeze bottle, spray bottle etc… with some warm water.
- Enjoy the exploration!
Click HERE for Free Printable copy (Email Subscribers Only)
Wait, There’s More…
I believe you can easily strengthen communication skills and foster independence all while playing and connecting with your child. To help you do this; I’ve created a FREE printable for each activity called, “Communicating & Connecting”.
It will give you a list of suggestions I’ve found very helpful as a Mom & as a special education teacher; to help you build lifelong skills. Please don’t feel obligated to do everything on the list (but if you do, you’re a rockstar 😉 ).
As a Thank You for subscribing; this is a special FREEBIE for our Email Subscribers Only. 🙂 Click here if you’ve already subscribed. Otherwise, Sign Up below to get the password & access to our entire FREE Printables Library today! 😉
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