Bouncy Balls

Miller has been begging and begging to do "messy science."  I don't really know where he got this idea, but I have kept my eyes peeled for science projects that might be up to Miller's standards of being messy and up to my standard of not being too messy:)

So, of course where do we all go now in search of ideas???  Pintresest.  I actually just saw this as I was scrolling through all the recent posts and tucked it away.  Thursday both Miller and Sara Wells had a cold and we needed to stay home so it became our "messy science day."  

When I saw the pin for making your own bouncy balls, I knew it was perfect for Miller!  What child would not be thrilled to make their own Bouncy Balls.  

I will warn you.  All the pins make it look like the bouncy balls you will be making will end up like a real bouncy ball.  That is not the case.  But your kids will have a blast making them and playing with them!!!

The secret ingredient is BORAX (found in the laundry detergent aisle)

What you will need:

borax

cornstarch

glue (I used clear, but white glue would be just fine)

warm water

plastic cups

plastic spoons or something disposable for stirring

1.  In one cup mix 1/2 tsp borax powder with 2 tablespoons warm water.

 Stir until dissolved.  (For a more opaque/lighter bouncy ball add food coloring to this mixture.)

2.  In a different cup, add 1 tbsp of glue, 1/2 tsp borax mixture and 1 tbsp cornstarch.  Do not stir and let sit for 10 to 15 seconds.  Then add food coloring.

 3.  Using your plastic spoon, stir

 and stir until you cannot stir anymore.

 4.  Here comes the messy part...

Remove the mixture and start kneading and then forming into a ball with your hands.

 It starts out very, very messy.

 But by the time it has formed into a ball, most of the messiness is gone.

Make as many as your little ones have the patience for

And then let the fun begin!

The fun lasted all afternoon!

 In the end, this is what my kitchen counter looked like.  Not too bad for an afternoon filled with fun that got their minds off how crummy they really were feeling.