With a house full of kids we’ve had our share of yucky stuff — bodily fluids, sippy cups forgotten, old food, etc. But, for the first time I can recall, now we actually have some enjoyable yuck in our house.

Kids often enjoy a mess and Buckets-o -Fun has created some products called Yuck! to cater to that enjoyment. They can mix, examine, stir, and poke to their hearts’ content. This can fill an afternoon or free time for a month.

Product: Yuck!
Details : A polymer (yeah, go look it up, that’s the first school assignment related to this product) that takes on various consistencies depending on the starting form. Can be used for fun or educational purposes, or whatever your creative mind desires.
Price : $16-$20 per pound, or less when purchased in bulk.

What we loved . . .

• Hands on. Obviously, this is not a teacher-do,  student-watch activity. Everyone got their hands on and in this one.
• Flexible. Literally, but that’s not what I mean. This can fill dead space in your day (ha, ha, I know, I don’t have any of that either). It can be done in a short amount of time and discarded, or you can do the activities and then keep the various forms of Yuck on your counter to reexamine in the days and weeks ahead. We’ve had a bucket of chunky and snowy yuck sitting on our window sill for a few weeks now. Every now and then we pull it down, stir it around and mess around with. Add water, drain water, break it up, etc. It is just fascinating stuff.
• Amazing. We enjoyed the variety of consistencies to examine and compare. They were each fun and interesting in their own way. Of course the sticky Yuck we had to color green because it looked too much like boogers and my kids couldn’t resist. The sparkles in the snowy yuck was enchanting. The chunky Yuck made us want to eat ice. And, the saucy Yuck has a way of sliding off the spoon that is mesmerizing.
• Versatile. Now, this won’t keep you busy for a year’s science or anything like that, but it was a fun break from the norm as we came up with ways to explore its properties and learn more about it. We hydrated it with hot water vs. cold water (the hot worked more quickly), we left it to hydrate for a day and then added more, we over hydrated and dehydrated, we tried to break it up, and we just had plain old fun learning about a substance so different from anything else.
• Big plans. We didn’t try this, but I could just envision a kiddie pool filled with this stuff. They send a paper with ideas for sliding into it, hiding toys in it, and other fun and crazy stuff. This product has high-octane birthday party written all over it.

Some considerations . . .

• Messy! If you child does no enjoy messes (or if you don’t . . .) this product might not be will received in your home. It is sticky and saucy and everything else it is named. It takes a long time to wash off with soap and water. Vinegar seems to speed the process, but my kids can’t stand the smell and would rather spend five minutes at the sink of running water.
• Must be disposed of properly. You do need to be careful with Yuck. Because it absorbs water like nobody’s business, it is harmful if swallowed (by pets or people). You also do not want to send it down your drain unless you miss your plumber. So, just be careful and follow the instructions.
• Limited educational uses. While we did have lots of fun with it and it was a nice break in the day, the educational value was limited. We did learn about polymers and conduct a few experiments, but overall it was more fun than learning.

You can get a free sample of the different kinds of Yuck to see for yourself (one per organization or individual — check out the Yuck! page).

This would be great for a summer snow day or a winter boredom buster activity. It is fun and unique and provides a great activity that a variety of ages could enjoy.

Each family will have a different experience with a product, so I would encourage you to check out some other TOS Crew reviews on this product, over at the TOS Crew blog.

Disclaimer: This product was provided to me free of charge through Buckets-o-Fun as part of my participation in The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew. I received no additional compensation and the opinions expressed here come from my personal experiences and sincere thoughts.