Make A Giant Bouncy Ball Using Silly Putty

4 Parts:

Materials

Directions

Tips and Tricks

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If like me you were born in the early 80's you probably remember pushing Silly Putty onto newspaper and slowly peeling it off to reveal a copy of your favourite comic. Chances are you also remember watching TV on Saturdays mornings in your Jetsons or Duck Tales pyjamas.

Now a parent myself I often find myself thrown back into childhood nostalgia when retro kids TV pop up on our Netflix. The most recent addition that has thrown me back into childhood ruminations is Pee Wee's Playhouse. I have very real childhood memories of the show and none is more vivid than Pee Wee adding pieces of foil to his Foil Ball and after season 1, elastic bands to an ever growing Elastic Band ball. Fascinating.

I can't say that in 2017 my son was equally as fascinated as I was (am) with the concept of an mounting ball made out of elastics, after all in an age of iPads, Minecraft and Turbo Dismount an elastic band ball seems as primitive as an abacus.

I started thinking about a craft inspired by Pee Wee's idea of a giant expanding ball made out of seemingly common items that would be fascinating even in 2017. And as I was scrubbing the bathtub the idea slowly formed in my crafter cranium. Borox. Common and fascinating.

This article will show you how to make a giant Silly Putty bouncy ball made out of Borox.

The ingredients here will give you a pretty big bouncy ball made out of Silly Putty. You can absolutely modify the ingredients to make a bigger (or smaller) ball and even experiment with adding new batches to your Silly Putty ball to see how big it will grow.

• 1.5 cups (12oz) 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.
• 3oz of Borax Powder (Find it in the laundry detergent aisle).
  
• 3 cups (24oz) of warm water.

1. 1
   Stir together the glue with 1.5 cups (12oz) of warm water until dissolved

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   It will look a bit like slimy glue.

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2. 2
   Dissolve the Borax into 1.5 cups (12oz) warm water.

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3. 3
   Add the Borax mixture into the Glue and Water Mixture.

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4. 4
   Stir well

   .

   The mixture will begin to firm up.

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5. 5
   Take out the mixture and squish it between your hands moving it back and forth (as you would with dough)

   .

   

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6. 6
   And Voila

   !

   After a few minutes of squishing between your hands, your Silly Putty will firm up! Mold it into a ball and watch it bounce!

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• If you can find "Classic" sparkle/glitter glue you can make glittery Silly Putty. If you can find Glow in the Dark Glue you can make a giant Silly Putty ball for dark fun.
• Experiment with food colouring for different colours of Silly Putty.
• Store your Silly Putty in an airtight container or baggie.
• It's not just for bouncing. Roll it, stretch it, flatten it, find your favorite Silly Putty Fun.
  
• If you buy a box of Borax specifically for this purpose it is a fantastic cleaning powder you can use in your laundry or to clean your sink and toilet. It can also be used for other crafts such such as Make Bouncy Ball Paint Art and Make Slime with Borax.

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.

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