Bouncy Balls

It’s the second day of school, and we’re already bouncing off the walls.  Well, at least our experiment is.  This year I decided not to purchase a formal science curriculum.  We had one last year, and let me be honest… by the end of the year, I was burnt out on science 4 days a week.  I think I skipped science the last 6 weeks of school.  So, this year we are doing science on “Try it Tuesday.”  I could have titled it “Pinterest Tuesday,” but that didn’t sound quite as nice.  Actually, I may do a post about all our acronyms later, but for now let me tell you about Try it Tuesday.

Every Tuesday we will do something new — whether it be trying a new science experiment, a new recipe, a new craft, a new skill, or a new game — we will try something new.  And, I really do intend to utilize Pinterest quite a bit.  I also have quite a few science and craft books to utilize.  It was very easy for me last night to find this experiment and say “This is it!”

Another fun thing about having no formal curriculum is that Sierra can enjoy and learn, as well.  I will simply pick ideas that can be adapted for her, too.

So, today’s science lesson… bouncy balls!

We have special science measuring tools so we don’t end up eating borax in our waffles the next morning.  🙂

They were messy.  Messes = fun.  (For the kids, that is!)

And, it was a success!  We ended up with several bouncy balls of several colors.  Apparently, they will only last a few days, which means we need to go play with them NOW!  Here is the recipe.  (Original link can be found here.)

To make these, you will need:

Borax (found in laundry section)

warm water

corn starch

glue (clear glue makes a see transparent ball and white glue makes an opaque ball)

2 small mixing cups

a stirring stick (plastic spoon)

food coloring (optional)

Label one cup ‘Borax Solution’ and the other cup ‘Ball Mixture’.

Pour 2 tablespoons warm water and 1/2 teaspoon borax powder into the cup labeled ‘Borax Solution’. Stir the mixture to dissolve the borax. Add food coloring, if desired.

Pour 1 tablespoon of glue into the cup labeled ‘Ball Mixture’. Add 1/2 teaspoon of the borax solution you just made and 1 tablespoon of cornstarch. Do not stir.

Allow the ingredients to interact on their own for 10-15 seconds and then stir them together to fully mix. Once the mixture becomes impossible to stir, take it out of the cup and start molding the ball with your hands.

The ball will start out sticky and messy, but will solidify as you knead it.

Once the ball is less sticky, continue rolling between your hands until it is smooth and round!