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Making the Borax Water:
Borax is a type of powdered soap that is available in most grocery stores.
Add 1 tablespoon Borax powder to 1 cup of water. Stir until most of the powder
dissolves.
Store the Broax Water in a jar or bottle, and label the container Borax &
Water Mixture. Remember that one cup of Borax water will make many batches of
"Goofy Putty."
Preparing the Glue:
Measure 1 tablespoon of Elmer's Glue into a zipper-lock bag. Add 1 teaspoon
of plain water to the bag and mix. The additional water makes the glue flow
better. Add a drop of food coloring to spice up the experiment.
Making Goofy Putty:
Add 1 tablespoon of Borax Water to the bag of watered-down glue. Seal the bag
and squeeze for 2 minutes in order to thoroughly mix the liquids. Notice that
the liquids are starting to form a putty-like substance. Remove the putty from
the bag and continue to squeeze.
How Does it Work: The mixture of Elmer's glue with Borax and water produces a putty-like material called a polymer. In simplest terms, a polymer is a long chain of molecules. There are several different methods for making this putty-like material. Some recipes call for liquid starch instead of Borax Soap. Either way, when you make "Goofy Putty" you are learning about some of the fun an unusual properties of polymers.