Yuck, seriously

If someone handed you a package of powder, told you to mix it with water, and let you know ahead of time that the result would resemble something you blow out of your nose into a tissue, would that really be the encouragement you needed to follow the instructions?  After all, isn't one of the goals of any mom to train your children to eventually be able to take care of their own snot, so we don't have to touch it anymore?

Welcome to the world of Yuck.  From where I sit, this has to have been invented by a kid, or someone who refuses to grow up.  Kids love it.  Moms...well, I guess it depends.  For this mom, it was definitely a "I'll let you do this because I love you, not because I want to" project.  Of course, for this mom, things like Play-Doh and PlayFoam, and even painting, fall into that category.  Any fun project that means lots of clean-up for mom is on that list.  But even I have to admit, Yuck might actually be worth the effort.

We received four types of Yuck from Buckets-O-Fun to sample.

Chunky Yuck  This starts looking like rock salt (tiny cubes) and when hydrated, it's about the size of ice machine cubes.  This is the only Yuck you have to prepare ahead of time, as it takes about 24 hours to fully hydrate.  

Saucy Yuck  This begins as a powder; add water and it becomes the consistency of applesauce, but slimier.  

Snowy Yuck  This starts as a very fine powder; when you add water it becomes just like snow, but it isn't cold.  It's not quite firm enough to mold into snowballs, but it would make a great material for a Christmas party decoration.  I have to admit, Snowy Yuck is pretty awesome!  

Sticky Yuck  Yup, boogers.  Snot.  Mucus.  Human slime.  It's gross.  It's REALLY sticky.  And the kids will LOVE it.

Each sample pack made a nice bowlful of Yuck, plenty to play with.  The samples came with instructions, and several suggestions for games to play or activities that you could use the Yuck with.  Mostly, though, we just played.  Or rather, the kids played and I watched.

The different Yuck costs, depending on the variety, between $16-20 per pound (and a pound makes, again, depending on the Yuck, between 5 and 60 gallons of Yuck once it's been hydrated).  You can also order a sample of Yuck for free.  

Two suggestions I have for ANYONE who wants to use Yuck:

1. Check out the videos before you start, just so you have a better idea what you're getting into.
2. Two words: DISPOSABLE CONTAINER!  That's right.  Yuck cannot be put down drains, so I highly recommend that you mix up your Yucks in some type of disposable container, to make clean-up MUCH easier.  

Yuck probably won't make another appearance at our house unless we get another free sample, simply because I don't generally choose to pay money for messes I have to clean up.  I might pass along the recommendation for some Yucky fun to the nice people at our church, or our homeschool group, so the kids can continue to have Yucky experiences (without having to directly deal with the mess myself; is that mean of me?).  But if you're a kid at heart, you probably will LOVE Yuck.  

Want some other opinions on Yuck?  Check out what the rest of the Homeschool Crew has to say.

Disclaimer: As a member of the 2010-2011 TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I received a complimentary sample of all four varieties of Yuck in exchange for my fair, honest and unbiased review. No other compensation was received.