Theory Thursday: Borax, Water, & Glue

Today we observed the reaction of borax, water, and glue.

Jake guessed that it was going to make "sticky syrup."

Combine 1 quart of water and 1 tablespoon of borax and stir well. Let the mix stand for a few minutes.

Fill a disposable cup three quarters of the way with the borax solution. Stir in a few drops of food coloring.

Add white glue in a thin steady stream, stirring continuously. Keep adding glue until a large, stringy mass wraps around the spoon.

Pull the mass off the spoon and drop it into a container of cold water.

Then, remove the mass and, with dry hands, squeeze it to get rid of the air bubble.

Now you have silly putty!

They were very surprised that they had made silly putty. Jake had fun bouncing it on the floor, copying newspaper prints with it, and squeezing and pulling it. Alyssa touched it one time and would not come near it again. She did, however, want to keep making more. We made three different colors: red, blue, and yellow. Their favorite part? Watching the food coloring disperse through the water.  Maybe next week our experiment will be just watching the two mix. Maybe.