Go Fishing in the Witch's Potion (It's Purple Water)

How it went: We did this in the backyard in late October with our 4- and 2-year-old. Our first batch of goo wasn't very thick or much fun, so we poured in more water and purple food coloring. That was the good part. They fished to see what came up next, then loved washing every toy with soap and water.

Why bother

Cornstarch and water make a strange goo. Juice doesn't care how hard you poke it. This does. Add more water, and big rubber spiders vanish into a cloudy purple potion.

You don't have to make it scary. Cloudy water and one rubber spider are plenty.

What you'll need

• About 2 cups of cornstarch and 1 cup of water, plus more water for the potion
• Purple food coloring
• A wide, shallow bin
• 3-6 big rubber spiders, skulls or squishy eyeballs, each bigger than your fist, like these 5-inch rubber spiders^* (affiliate link) (labeled 3+)
• Salad tongs or a slotted spoon
• A towel, an old shirt and a bucket of soapy water

Quick start

• Set the bin on a towel on flat ground outside.
• Mix the cornstarch and water by hand in the bin until it's thick.
• Add water until it's about 2 inches deep, then a few drops of color.
• Drop in the toys. Some float. Some hide.
• Say, "Something's down there. What's that?"
• Stay within arm's reach. It's over when you tip the water out.

Discover moment: Pull up a handful of goo from the bottom. It falls between your fingers. Tug it and it firms. Let go and it runs.

Connect moment: Wash every toy together in the soapy bucket. You'll be told to scrub harder.

Too much? / Too easy?

Too much (2): Skip the goo. Plain water and three big toys near the top.

Too easy (4-5): Feel and Guess. Eyes closed, fish one out, name it by touch.

Too easy (6-8): Poke the goo fast, then slowly. Guess which toys float.

Other ways to play: Bring the clean toys inside. Ours lived in a toy cauldron all month.

Cleanup

Let the bin sit until the cornstarch settles. Pour the water off outside. Scrape the cornstarch into the trash, never down the drain. It can clog pipes.

What I tell friends: Do the mystery water. Skip the big goo batch. Five containers of cornstarch got us maybe half a gallon. That's it.