Recently we had a school snow day (I know, a SNOW DAY in SPRING! Crazy Canada.) We decided to make the most of it and make something fun! My littlest loves silly putty. I had come across some recipes online awhile ago and thought we would give the homemade silly putty a go.
We followed a few different recipes, playing with all the amounts until we got the results that we wanted. Squishy but not runny. Perfect for play! Once we discovered the magic combination my gal was able to make this all on her own in minutes!
Here is what worked for us
1/4 cup glue (elmer's or any no name brand ~ we tried a few)
1/4 cup warm water
1 1/2 tbsp borax powder
1 tsp washable paint (you can use food coloring too ~ we used paint to have more colors options)
To begin:
Place 1 tsp of paint into a bowl.
Add in your 1/4 cup warm water and stir.
Next, measure out 1/4 cup glue and add to your paint mixture. Mix thoroughly.
Measure out 1 1/2 tbsp of borax and spinkle over the mixture.
Stir until it starts to become a gloopy mess like this.
Now for the really fun part! Take it in your hands and squish it silly! It should co-operate and become some super silly putty.
We thought we would create some Easter inspired colors of silly putty and the results were lovely!
Perfect time of year to create silly putty, as we had the eggs to store it in. Just like the real deal!
These shall surely fill some of our Easter baskets this year.
There is SO much fun you can have with silly putty!
1. Press things in to it and use it as a mold.
2. Create a bouncy ball by rolling it into a ball and placing it in the freezer for an hour.
3. Watch it float by shaping it into a boat shape and placing in water.
4. Draw a picture with pencil and press the putty flat on top so it copies the image.
5. Juggle with it.
6. Perhaps the best part of all....
Squishing it! How can you resist?!
Happy stretching, bouncing, squishing and squeezing!
Homemade silly putty looks awesome! Pinned!
ReplyDeleteWhat kind of washable paint do you use? Hope to make these with the kids at my son's upcoming birthday party. :)
ReplyDeleteI think something like this... http://www.toysrus.com/buy/paint-painting-supplies/crayola-washable-kid-s-paint-10-pack-54-1205-2396157
Deleteor food coloring or even acrylic paint would work. Hope that helps :)
Looks a fantastic activity. I love the use of the easter eggs as a container too
ReplyDeleteI love this! Thanks so much for sharing!
ReplyDeleteCan you tell me what is borax? It looks amazing so i would make this for my little ones! Thank you for sharing ;-)
ReplyDeleteBorax is a soap. You can get it at the store. Be sure you get Borax brand hand soap powder. Not laundry detergent.
DeleteThanks for clarifying that I would have used the laundry soap...lol
DeleteHmm just made our first batch and I didn't read comments before and I only knew of Borax as the detergent, so that is what we used and it seems to still have been successful. Might want to add that in to the recipe. Where do you find the hand soap powder?
DeleteCan you use any laundry detergent? Or no?
DeleteCan you tell me what is borax? It looks amazing so i would make this for my little ones! Thank you for sharing ;-)
ReplyDeleteYou can find it in the laundry section of your grocery store. It's used to make homemade soaps.
ReplyDeleteHome hardware also sells Borax brand for about $5 for a decent size box.
ReplyDeleteI live in England what would borax be over here
ReplyDeleteWe get Borax substitute here in the UK. I have tried many methods online to make this and none of it worked it just turned hard and grainy :(.
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ReplyDeleteHi thanks for the great info. Question if u mold something with the putty does it dry and keep its shale??
ReplyDeleteHey Emily ~ from my experience it won't hold it's molded shape for very long. It seems to like being a blob ;)
DeleteBorax is toxic to children through ingestion of mouth, hands or nose! so how can you recommend this?? this is the link that tells you its toxic: http://www.co.thurston.wa.us/health/admin/news/PDF/HealthNewsBorax2013.pdf
ReplyDeleteHere is another article you could read on borax that might put your mind at ease if using it. http://thethriftycouple.com/2013/05/16/is-borax-safe-or-not-and-should-it-really-be-used-in-homemade-natural-cleaners/
DeleteAnonymous, you are feeding it to them, they are mixing it up. Relax.
ReplyDeletearen't
ReplyDeleteDo you know if I can use room temperature water instead of warm? I want to do this outside at a park.
ReplyDeleteI think that should work. Just probably not cold water because the glue might not mix as well. Good luck!
DeleteI'm in Australia and we can get Elmers glue but doesn't look exactly the same. Is it just a craft glue you use or a PVA or something else? Thanks
ReplyDeleteWe used a few "no-name" (school) glues. I think any craft glue similar to Elmers glue should work jut fine. Happy silly Putty making!
DeleteIm going to try this again today with the borax substitute but not mix the borax with water lile other posts and just spinkle it. I so want to make some :D
ReplyDeleteDoes this dry out? Or how would you store it? In the eggs okay, or do you put it in a ziploc?
ReplyDeleteIt keeps really well, for a long time if you store it in sealed glass,plastic ziploc or container.
ReplyDeleteElmer's school glue or Elmer's glue all?
ReplyDeleteI am not happy about Borax.Isnt that very poisonis?
ReplyDeleteI think i have the detergent borax, i didn't know there was 2 different kinds.. but ive used it to make slime and some other stuff n it worked just fine! And .... anonymous, its only bad if your kids eat it!
ReplyDeleteSince adding borax last... how does it dissolve? I made this a cpl times and does anyone have the issue where it doesn't dissolve? Like if your playing with the silly putty, when u tear it in half, some borax will fall off....?
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