How to Make a Bouncy Ball at Home
Kids love bouncy balls. But they’re also easily lost, and parents can get tired of continually replacing them.
Luckily, you can use a few simple household items to make your own bouncy balls whenever you want. Give them to friends and family members, keep a few spare, or just make a bouncy ball whenever you lose your last one.
Here’s How to Make a Bouncy Ball
This is a relatively easy tutorial, so even young children can get involved.
Here’s what you’ll need:
White glue
Cornstarch
Borax (or a substitute, if you prefer not to use detergent)
Food coloring
Warm water
Craft stick or spoon
Measuring spoons
Marking pen
2 small plastic cups
Metric ruler
Watch (one with a second hand)
Zip-lock plastic bag
Ready to make a bouncy ball? Great!
First, grab your two cups. Label one “Ball Mixture” and the other “Borax Solution.”
Next, you’ll pour 1/2 teaspoon of the borax powder and 2 tablespoons of water into the “Borax Solution” cup. Stir until the borax is dissolved, and add food coloring if you want the ball to be a certain color.
In the cup you labeled “Ball Mixture”, add 1 tablespoon of cornstarch, and 1/2 a teaspoon of the borax solution. Don’t stir. Instead, let the ingredients interact by themselves for 10-15 seconds (use the watch).
After 10-15 seconds, stir the mixture together until it’s impossible to stir it anymore. When this happens, take the mixture out of the cup and mold it into a ball with your hands.
The ball will be messy and sticky to start out with, but as you knead it, it will solidify.
As soon as the ball is less sticky, you can bounce it.
Once you’ve finished playing with the ball, you can store it in a sealed Ziploc bag.
Wash all your utensils, the area, and your hands.
How to Make a Super Bouncy Ball
This recipe is a little different and will give you a super bouncy ball!
Here’s what you need:
Plastic bag
Food coloring
Cornstarch
Glue
Borax
Warm water
Coffee stick or spoon
Measuring spoons
Two cups
Instructions:
Boil the kettle, and let it cool down until it’s hot, but not boiling. Pour the borax and the water into the first cup (you may still want to label the cups) until it dissolves.
Next, pour the food coloring, cornstarch, and glue into the second cup. Stir this all together, and then add 1/2 a teaspoon of the borax mixture. Wait 10-15 seconds and then stir.
Once the mixture is no longer easy to stir, use your hands to roll it into a ball and then try to bounce the ball. This recipe should be more bouncy and pliable.
Whichever recipe you choose, you can experiment with different types of compositions. This will change the time it takes to solidify, how sticky the ball is, the diameter, and bounce height.
Change your ratio slightly, and adjust the different amounts of borax, cornstarch, and glue and you’ll be able to decide which type you like best.
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