Make bouncy balls at home. Kids love it because it’s fun science and your fingers get gooey and sticky!
My youngest son loves to get quarters and buy those little rubber balls to bounce all over our house so I decided to find out how to make bouncy balls at home for fun and to save a little money. I already had all the ingredients on hand so it was really easy. Both boys had a blast making them and it’s a great boredom buster craft you can get your kids involved in making when they are out of school or home for summer.
**Please note this is not recommended for children that still put things in their mouths – see note at the end of this post.
How to make bouncy balls at home
Here are the ingredients you will need:
- 2 throw away plastic containers
- 2 tablespoons warm-hot water
- 1/2 teaspoon borax
- 2-4 drops food coloring
- 1 tablespoon white or clear glue
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- plastic fork or spoon
- plastic gloves optional
Step 1 to make bouncy balls:
Take one of your containers and mix together water, borax, and food coloring
Step 2 to make bouncy balls:
In the second container mix glue, cornstarch and 1/2 teaspoon of the mixture from step 1
Give the mixture 10-15 seconds for the ingredients to start to activate, then stir with your plastic fork. Stir until it’s so stiff you can’t stir it anymore.
If you are using plastic gloves put them on and and roll the mixture into a ball between your palms
That is it! Now your ball is ready and your kids can get to bouncing them all over the house! Store your homemade bouncy balls in a plastic zip-top bag or a plastic container with a lid when you are not using them. They may flatten a bit when they are sitting. All you need to do is roll them between your palm and they will spring back into shape for more bouncing fun.
If you’ve never used borax before buy a box it has all kinds of uses in your home. I’ve used it to make my homemade laundry detergent, carpet deodorizer, and all natural DIY powdered cleanser as well.
**Borax Note: I had a great question from reader Debbie who asked if Borax was safe to use due to toxicity and what if a kid put them in their mouth? Here is a great article to read so that you can make your own decision. Getting to the bottom of Borax is it Safe or Not?
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