These “bouncy balls” are a simple but fun project that you can do in class, with a handful of easy-to-get materials! We suggest this project for older elementary students, because of the mess and the ingredients involved.
Bouncy Ball Project
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Yield: 1 bouncy ball
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Borax® Detergent Booster
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 2 tablespoons white school glue OR clear school glue*
- 1 tablespoon Argo® Corn Starch
- Food Coloring – Various Colors, as desired
Directions
- Note: This is enough to make one bouncy ball.
- Add Borax® to the warm water and stir well.
- In a separate container, mix corn starch with glue. Add food coloring. (Use as much as needed to get the desired shade).
- Scoop the colored glue mix into the Borax® mix and stir well for about a minute, for the glue mixture to absorb some of the water. There will still be water remaining.
- Using a spoon, scoop the glue mix out and start to form it into a ball with your hands. It will feel messy and sticky at first, but will slowly start to come together and firm up as you keep rolling it. The more you roll the ball, the firmer it becomes. It should have the consistency of thick silly putty. Bounce away!
- Store the ball(s) in a resealable plastic bag so it doesn’t dry out. The balls can lose their shape, but can be easily reformed.
- *You can also use glitter glue, but it makes a more textured ball.
H/T: ChicagoParent.com