Make Bouncy Ball Paint Art
Edited by Sarah Maloney, Eng, Alma
Whether you're looking for more craft ideas to use up that box of Borax, an original sensory activity or another use for bouncy balls, this recipe will teach you how to make your own bouncy ball paint art that kids will love.
This How To is in two parts. The first part of the craft will show you how to make bouncy balls. The second part will show you how to transform your bouncy balls into unique one of a kind art pieces. Younger crafters (3-6) will love creating their own bouncy ball art but may struggle with Part I while older crafters (7-10) should be able to do both with adult supervision and assistance.
Part I: Bouncy Ball Materials
Kids will love making the bouncy balls first. Keep in mind, different sizes of balls with added sensory ingredients will allow kids the experiment with their art creation in part 2.
You do want to make more than one bouncy ball for the art piece. Depending on sizes, this recipe will make enough for 3 to 6 bouncy balls.
- 2 cups or bowls.
- 6 tbsp warm water.
- 3 tsp of Borax Powder (Find it in the laundry detergent aisle).
- 6 tbsp of school glue. There is A LOT of glue on the market; you want to get just plain old white school glue (not the washable or clear kind). Look for the word "Classic" on the bottle. You also want to get brand name glue and not the glue you can find in discount stores.
- 6 tbsp corn starch.
- Food coloring (optional).
- Additions to the bouncy balls might include sand, glitter, small stones, rice.
Part I: Directions
- 1Mix until the Borax is dissolved.Mix the warm water and Borax together in the first cup.
- 2Mix well.Pour the glue, cornstarch, food coloring into the second cup.
- 3Pour the mixture from the second cup into the Borax mixture (cup 1).
- 4Let the mixture in the cup sit for 20 - 25 seconds, then stir.
- 5Experiment with different size balls.Once the mixture becomes hard to stir, scoop it out of the cup and roll it into balls.
Part 2: Bouncy Ball Art!
Once you've created your bouncy balls the real fun begins.
Part II: Materials
- 1This works best if you have 3-5 bouncy balls but can be done with any number.Bouncy Balls.
Part II: Steps
- 1Place different color paint into your muffin tins or egg cartons.
- 2Roll it around a bit to cover it in paint.Place your homemade bouncy ball into the paint.
- 3Remove the bouncy ball and place in the box on top of the paper.Place the paper on the bottom of your box.
- 4Move the box around, bounce your ball off the sides to make different patterns. Roll it slow, roll it fast.Get rolling!
- 5Experiment with the different colours of paint, different size and shape of balls.
- 6Remove the paper and behold, a work of art that would make Jackson Pollock jealous.
Tips and Tricks
- You can add glitter after the paint is done or even use glitter glue in place of paint.
- Glow in the Dark paint can also be used for after dark viewing.
- Once you get good at rolling and have an idea of where the lines are going, have each child try and paint something (such as a lobster), when they're done have each show what they did. This gets silly and certainly will end in giggles.
- Try Bouncy Ball Art Pictionary. This can also work with adults. Hilarious.
- Once your masterpieces are finished, hang them in the craft corner or down a hallway and have an "Art Show" where each artist can explain and discuss their piece and what they like about it.
If you have problems with any of the steps in this article, please ask a question for more help, or post in the comments section below.
