Homemade bouncy balls

The big kids and I made homemade bouncy balls!  They were super easy, too.  They aren't as perfectly round as the ones you can buy in vending machines in stores, but they were fun to make and are fun to play with.  This is a pretty simple recipe and the kids can pretty much do it by themselves.  We used......

2 plastic/paper cups
measuring spoons
a stir stick (popsicle sticks worked for us)
2 Tbsp hot water
1/2 tsp borax
1 tbsp glue (we used white Elmer's but I bet the clear glue would work well, too)
2 tbsp cornstarch
food coloring (optional)

Pour the water and the Borax into the first cup and stir until the Borax is dissolved. Pour the Glue, Cornstarch and food coloring into the second up.  We used only a small drop of food coloring.  Mix well.  Then add the mixture from cup one into cup two.  Let the ingredients sit for 15 seconds, then stir. Once the mixture becomes difficult to stir, scoop it out and roll into a ball.  Enjoy!

 

My hands ended up getting stained pretty badly, so Im warning you now that you might want to use gloves.  My fingers especially had a purple tint to them for a day after making these. 

 

My kids had fun playing with these.  They do lose their shape and dry out if not placed in a sealed container afterwards, so put them in a ziploc baggie or plastic container to store.