Oobleck

“Alright,” says Aquarius, a smile spreading across their face as they plunk a paper bag down in front of their snickering class of students, “Are you ready to do some SCIENCE, friends?”

“Hmmm, I dunno…” Samphire squints at the bag, “Is it messy science?”

“Of course it is, my dear,” confirms Saturn as she begins pulling out materials from the bag: one giant box of corn starch, three mixing bowls, some solid and liquid measuring cups and an assortment of food coloring.

“Ooooooh,” the three younger cats ogle the supplies curiously, eagerly awaiting further instruction. Hawthorne’s tail gave an impatient twitch. Babb, mother to Samphire and Hawthorne and sister to Lulu, had entrusted her younger family members to Aquarius and Saturn for an afternoon of scientific inquiry. The two older cats knew their audience well and had come prepared for an afternoon of messy fun.

“Has anyone ever heard of non-Newtonian fluid?” asks Aquarius eagerly.

“Uhhh…” Lulu cocks her head, puzzled.

“Booooring!” Hawthorne chides, mimicking a snoring sound.

“Oh, quite the contrary!” assures Saturn, “Non-Newtonian fluids are great for making messes, as we’re about to discover.”

The three youngsters respond with a cheer.

“To understand the concept of non-Newtonian fluids, you first have to understand viscosity,” explains Aquarius, “Does anyone know what viscosity means?”

“It means how FIERCE you are!” blurts out Hawthorne, baring her teeth.

Saturn chuckles, “I think you’re thinking of viciousness, friend. Viscosity sounds similar, but it’s a very different concept.”

Aquarius dips a measuring cup into the nearby stream and holds it up, a look of sheer delight on their face, “This is water.”

“Yeah, we know!” shouts Lulu from the crowd.

Aquarius continues, unphased, “Water is a Newtonian fluid. Its viscosity – how thick and gooey it is – is constant. It’s just as thick when I pour it…” they gently pour the water back into the stream, “…as it is when I hit it!” They slap a paw into the steam, splashing water all over their giggling adolescent audience.

Saturn picks up where her teaching partner left off, “What we’re making today isn’t a Newtonian fluid, though. Sometimes it acts more viscous than others. Under the right circumstances, it can act almost like a solid!”

“Whoa!” whispers Sam under her breath.

“NERD,” accuses Lulu, but her wiggly butt gives away her own excitement.

“So here’s what we’re gonna do…” says Saturn, calmly opening the box of corn starch, “Each of you needs to take a mixing bowl and put one cup of corn starch in it.”

The youngsters do as instructed… more or less. Lulu empties her first scoop of starch over Hawthorne’s head (“so you look more like your sister!”), but everything else goes according to plan.

After they’ve received their corn starch, Aquarius beckons the rambunctious trio over to the stream, “Now I’m going to pour one and a half cups of water into each of your bowls, as well as a few drops of food coloring. Once I give you your water, you can go stir together your oobleck. I’d give you all stirring sticks, but I know you three well enough to know that you’ll use your paws anyways, so… have at it.”

Aquarius and Saturn exchange a glance and a chuckle as their students knead at their bowls.

“Alright, is everyone ready?” asks Saturn, surveying the messy children before her.

“Yeah!” shout Sam and Lulu. Hawthorne spins around and quickly returns to her bowl, which she’d wandered away from.

“So,” says Aquarius with a twinkle in their eye, “are you ready to discover the messy wonders of non-Newtonian fluids?”

“Hurry uuuuup,” Hawthorne whines, tapping her tail.

“Okay okay,” Aquarius concedes, “Pick up your oobleck – yeah, like that – now let it ooze between your toes and back into the bowl. Plop. It’s more viscous than water, but it’s still definitely fluid, right?”

“Eeeeewwww,” Lulu wrinkled her nose, “I like it.”

“Now, are you ready for the really cool part?” asks Aquarius, passing the baton to Saturn with a simple glance.

“Next, we’re gonna slap the oobleck!” exclaims Saturn, “Go ahead, slap it.”

“And make it splash all over the place?!” asks Sam.

“You’ll see,” says Saturn with a knowing smile.

“I’m gonna do it,” says Hawthorne with a wiggle of her butt, “I’m gonna HIT IT!”

“Do it!” encourages Aquarius.

The lanky black cat gives her oobleck a hearty swat. It goes nowhere.

“It… didn’t splash?” she ponders, a bit disappointed.

“That’s right!” Saturn confirms, “when you hit oobleck, the viscosity increases. It behaves almost like a solid for that instant!”

“Wait…” Samphire’s eyes light up.

“…does that mean…” Lulu glances down at her bowl.

“…it’ll be hard when it hits you in the FACE!” Sam declares, flinging a wad of oobleck directly at her aunt’s face.

Lulu winces and responds in kind. Before long, the trio of smelly youngsters si engaged in an all-out oobleck war as Aquarius and Saturn survey their accomplishments.

“Well… we taught them some science,” observes Saturn.

“Good job, us!” chuckles Aquarius.

“D’you think Babb will ask us to do this again?” ponders Saturn.

“Nah,” Aquarius shakes their head. They both laugh.