Homemade Glitter Silly Putty

Edible recipes aren’t the only way you can have fun in the kitchen with your kids! There are also some fun kitchen science experiments and concoctions to make. One of our favorites is homemade silly putty (or slime, gak, flubber, etc). You really only need a few fairly common ingredients and you have something the kids will play with for hours. In this version, we’ve added glitter for some extra fun!

Materials:

• 1 bottle of Elmer’s Glue (8oz. bottle)
• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• 1 tsp Borax
• Food Coloring (color of choice)
• Glitter

Directions:

The key to making this in any size quantity is that you need about equal parts glue and water. Then, you need some Borax dissolved in water. So, start by dissolving the borax in a small mixing bowl with 1/2 cup of warm water. Stir until well blended then set that bowl aside.

In another bowl, empty the entire bottle of Elmer’s white glue. Fill the empty bottle with warm water and empty into the bowl (or just pour in a cup of warm water). Use a spoon to mix well. If you’d like to add color, mix in some drops of food coloring at this point (we used 4 drops of blue food coloring for the light-blue color). Stir to combine. Then, pour at least 1/4 -1/2 cup of glitter. Stir everything together.

Slowly pour the Borax solution from the small bowl into the water glue solution, adding a small amount at a time while stirring. You should slowly start to feel the contents turning more solid. Continue to pour in the rest of the Borax solution and then use your hands to start forming more of a solid. The more Borax solution, the more solid. So, you & your kids can experiment with the consistency you’d like – more slime-like or more silly putty like.

Kids LOVE this stuff! It’s quick to make and so fun to play with. If you store it in a plastic container, mason jar, or ziploc baggie, the homemade silly putty will usually keep fresh for weeks!

For more fun sensory ideas for kids, try homemade peppermint playdough, or ice paints!