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Home Made Bouncy Ball

Who knew you could make a homemade bouncy ball that *actually* bounces?! And that you could make it out of household items?

 

Experiments with Borax

A quick word of common sense caution before the details on making a DIY bouncy ball: Although experiments with Borax makes great DIY for kids projects, , Borax is not edible, so don’t let you toddler chew on the ball.

Materials to Make a Bouncy Ball

*Note:  The first time we did this experiment we followed a post from a fellow crafter and there  instructions   We were disappointed that the ball was not translucent the and wasn’t that bouncy.  So, we modified the experiment a few times until we got a Super Bouncy Ball. The ingredients listed below are from the original recipe, but we encourage you to try our version, which reduces the cornstarch to 1/2 tablespoon, adds the food coloring to the second cup instead of the first cup, and mixes the second cup’s ingredients first before adding the borax solution from the first cup.

• two cups
• measuring spoons
• a coffee stir stick (or something to stir the solutions)
• 2 tablespoons warm water
• 1/2 teaspoon borax (find it in the laundry detergent section of your local store)
• 1 tablespoon glue
• 1 tablespoon corn starch
• food coloring (optional)
• plastic bag (for storing your ball)

How To Make A Bouncy Ball

Step 1

Pour the water and borax into the first cup and stir the mixture until it is dissolved.  We used just boiled water from the kettle, so it was more hot than warm.

Step 2

Pour the glue, cornstarch, food coloring, and 1/2 teaspoon of the mixture from the first cup into the second cup.  We got the best results when we mixed the glue, cornstarch, and food coloring first, and then poured in the borax mixture.

Step 3

Let the ingredients in the second cup interact on their own for about 15 seconds, then stir.

Step 4

Once the mixture becomes difficult to stir, scoop it out of the cup, and roll it into a ball.  
Super easy. Super bouncy.
Great for Races, Estimating, and just plain fun!


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