Silly Putty, the pink, stretchy stuff that comes in a brightly colored egg, we all know it, we’ve all played with it at one time or another, but, just what in the world IS Silly Putty, and how do you make it?

Silly Putty is a dilatant compound, a silicone based polymer substance that is highly elastic, exhibits high bounce, can be easily molded, but manages to hold it’s shape while at rest. It’s non-toxic and not irritating to the skin. Basically, it’s kind of like a rubber ball that you can mold and stretch.

James Wright is the inventor of Silly Putty. He was a researcher at General Electric, who had been working on synthetic rubber substitutes. The very first Silly Putty was made by mixing silicone oil together with boric acid. Though the invention didnt have much of a future as a rubber substitute, it did make a really fun toy.

What You’ll Need:

• 1/2 cup glue
• 1 cup liquid starch (sta-f-10 brand)
• food coloring

Mix together thoroughly then store in air tight container.

We all remember the movie Flubber, or at least remember the main character; that joyful, bouncing mass of green goop that gets into so much trouble. Now you and your kids can have your very own flubber, but without all the chaos.

What You’ll Need:

• 2 cups glue
• liquid water color (not food coloring)
• glitter (optional)
• 2 tsp borax
• 1 1/3 cup very warm water

The Steps:
1. Mix the 2 tsp of borax into the hot water, set aside.
2. In a large container, mix together thoroughly:

• 1 1/2 cup cold water
• 2 cups glue
• liquid water color
• glitter

3. Now pour the borax mixture into the colored mixture, mix well using hands, kids enjoy this step the most.
Extra Notes:

• Make sure you keep flubber in an airtight container, so it does not dry out.
• Do not put your flubber into the fridgerator, as this will cause flubber to harder.
• Flubber is easily removable; all you need to do is pour vinegar onto it, which will cause it to desolve.
• Flubber lasts around 2 weeks.
• If your flubber starts to dry out, spray it with a little water, working the water into the flubber with your hands, until it becomes soft again.