Once the ball was formed, it was ready to bouncy. Although it didn’t bouncy nearly as high as the super bouncy balls she was familiar with, my daughter still had a ton of fun throwing it around the house.

The measurements are a little forgiving so we found it easiest to use a 1/4 cup measuring cup filling it halfway with glue (2 T) before adding the 1 T of cornstarch. Using a measuring spoon to measure the glue turned out to be more messy than estimating the 2T of glue in the 1/4 cup wearing cup. Then she added a couple drops of food coloring to the glue/cornstarch mixture and gave it a little stir. She was hoping to get a swirled bouncy ball but it turns out the food color really gets mixed thoroughly when forming the ball. We always like to include a bit of homemade slime science around here! Slime is an excellent chemistry demonstration and kids love it too!Mixtures, substances, polymers, cross-linking, states of matter, elasticity, and viscosity are just a few of the science concepts that can be explored with homemade slime! No need to add cornstarch to your bouncy ball. A lot of bouncy ball recipes contain cornstarch, but with the clear glue we didn’t find it necessary to add any. Do you remember playing with bouncy balls when you were young? I do and my kids still get these fun, mini balls that bounce high at parties, stuffed inside favor bags or at carnivals and theme parks.Another fantastic benefit of playdough is its calming effect. Kneading and manipulating the dough can be soothing and stress-relieving for kids, helping them relax and unwind. The first step to making the bouncy balls was to prepare the borax and water mixture. My 5 year old daughter measured out 1/2 cup of warm water and 1 T of borax. Then she gave the mixture a good stir to dissolve the borax. Do not use if you or your child have any sort of skin condition or sensitive skin (or wear gloves to mix it).

Moreover, this activity promotes concentration and focus. As children engage in playdough play, they learn to concentrate on the textures and shapes they are manipulating, which trains their attention span. Furthermore, the sensory experience of playdough stimulates creativity and imagination. Kids can mold their own unique creations, from animals to buildings, fostering their artistic abilities and encouraging pretend play. If you make your bouncy ball with white glue, the cornstarch makes it easier to shape the ball, but it also makes it heavier – and therefore it doesn’t bounce as high. Can the DIY bouncy ball be fixed if it splits open? Picture the difference between wet spaghetti and leftover spaghetti the next day. As the slime forms, the tangled molecule strands are much like the clump of spaghetti! Is slime a liquid or solid?

More Fun for Little Scientists

Wash your hands after playing with these bouncy balls. Borax can irritate skin and should not be ingested. Wear gloves to play with these DIY bouncy balls if you have sensitive skin. If you are looking for a new playdough recipe you are going to love the beautiful colors you get this crayon playdough. I love that this crayon play dough recipe uses broken crayons so they are not wasted! This homemade playdough recipe is easy to make for toddler, preschool, pre-k, kindergarten, first grade, and up! I know there has been a lot reported lately about Borax not being safe to use in crafts. I’ve used it for many years making slime (and other crafts), and never had any problems (made it with dozens of children). I’ve researched it a little and found that the overwhelming advice is that it is safe to use, IF used properly. Your homemade bouncy balls use a variation of one of our five basic slime recipes. All our slime recipes are super easy to make for a fun activity anytime! We make slime all the time, and these have become our go-to favorite slime recipes! No, we don’t recommend making a bouncy ball without borax. We tested several recipes using different ingredients, like cornstarch and baking soda, and they either didn’t work at all, or didn’t work as well.

So, let the fun begin! Grab some playdough and watch your child experience the countless benefits this activity has to offer. You can use the exact same recipe and swap out the clear glue for white school glue. Instead of glitter, use a few drops of food colouring to make a coloured bouncy ball. It does and you can use slime making to explore states of matter and its interactions. Find out more below… The ball can bounce because of the cross-linked polymers. Since the long polymer chains are flexible, when the ball hits the ground, it is able to momentarily deform or squish.When the dough comes together as a ball and the liquid has absorbed, transfer the dough to parchment paper on the counter and allow the dough to cool until you can handle it.

If you’ve never tried making your own, you are in for a treat! Not only can you find all the ingredients in your kitchen ( versus chemicals found in traditional Play dough) But we’ve found the smell, texture, and longevity to be far superior in homemade playdough as well! STEP 3: Now you can go ahead and pour 3 globs of the glitter/glue mixture into the water/borax mixture. We found that the clear glue balls bounced higher and better, but the white glue ones also work well! Do I need to add cornstarch to my bouncy ball recipe?

Homemade Playdough

Use glitter glue to make a bouncy ball with all the sparkle and one less ingredient! Or use glow in the dark glue for a glowing bouncy ball.