planning a party

So Critter's birthday is coming up in a couple weeks, she will be the big 7!!!  I am currently in the planning stages of her party.  So for we have 3 fun science activities to do:

Bouncing Polymer Ball Materials

Here's a list of materials you need to gather to make bouncing polymer balls:
    borax (found in the laundry section of the store)
    cornstarch (found in the baking section of the store)
    white glue (e.g., Elmer's glue - makes an opaque ball) or blue or clear school glue (makes a translucent ball)
    warm water
    food coloring (optional)
    measuring spoons
    spoon or craft stick to stir the mixture
    2 small plastic cups or other containers for mixing
    marking pen
    watch with a second hand
    metric ruler
    zip-lock plastic baggie

Let's make bouncing polymers balls...
Procedure
    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, go ahead and bounce it!

    You can store your plastic ball in a sealed ziploc bag when you are finished playing with it.
    Don't eat the materials used to make the ball or the ball itself. Wash your work area, utensils, and hands when you have completed this activity.


Homemade Slime aka GAK

1 teaspoon borax powder
1 1/2 C water, divided
4 oz (1/2 C)  Elmer’s glue, clear or white
food coloring


Add borax powder to 1 cup of water and stir to dissolve.  Set aside.  Pour glue into a medium mixing bowl and add 1/2 C water. Add a few drops of food coloring until desired color is reached and then stir to mix glue solution until smooth.  Pour the borax mixture into the glue mixture and watch the solids start to form.  Stir for a few moments and then use your hands to gather the mass.  The mixture will be very soft and wet.  Keep kneading until it firms up and feels dry.  Discard excess liquid in bowl. The more you knead and play with the slime the firmer it will become.  Store in a ziplock bag or air tight container and the slime will keep indefinitely.


 Playdough

This is by far the easiest playdough recipe I have ever tried. OK, well, it’s true that this is only the second playdough recipe I’ve ever tried, but still — after I used this one, I knew I had a winner. The pluses of making your own playdough? You will recognize all of the ingredients, which you probably already have in your home. You can make more whenever you run out. And most importantly, you don’t have to drag your kid to the store buy more. It’s a win-win for everyone! Oh, and this recipe takes about 5 minutes to make – that’s about an hour less than it would take for me to go buy some at the store! Even the kids can help with the mixing and kneading. Store it in an airtight container and it stays moist through many, many uses.

Recipe

1 cup flour

1 cup boiling water

2 tbsp. cream of tartar

1/2 cup salt

1 tbsp. oil

Mix and knead together.