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DOWNLOAD the 'Silly Putty' PDF
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Borax is becoming much more widely available now and is an alternative household cleaner.
Please see this page of Summer Naturals for more details
Household Borax - Link opens in a new window
Silly Putty
This is quite a ‘fussy’ recipe – precise measurements are required but that’s a great excuse to practice at home first.
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Equipment
1 Jug, 1 small bowl, 5ml medicine spoon, tablespoon, knife.
Ingredients
5ml medicine spoonfull of dry Borax + 20ml cold water
2 tablespoons PVA/Elmer’s glue + 7flozs cold water
1 teaspoon liquid food coloring
Method
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 Pour 7floz of cold water into a jug.
Measure out 2 tablespoons of PVA/Elmer’s glue and mix well into the water.
Add food coloring now and stir again.
Put 20ml of cold water into a small bowl and mix in 5ml of the borax powder
(use the medicine spoon – scrape off the excess powder with the back of a knife).
Continue stirring the jug mixture and then add the borax mix to it.
There should be an almost immediate thickening, continue mixing for a few more minutes or until a solid ball of putty forms.
Scoop out the putty and gently squash/knead in the hand.
As with goop (corn flour and water) the harder the putty is squeezed the more ‘solid’ it becomes and will break into small pieces… but then ‘melts’ again.
It should feel cold and clammy but remove itself cleanly from your hands.
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SlimeRepeat the above but use 10flozs of cold water with the glue.
REALLY REALLY messy!!! But still quite easy to clean up !
Hints and Tips
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When mixing glue and water make sure any glue on the spoon is mixed in thoroughly…borax reacts with neat PVA quite violently!
We used the cheapest economy PVA glue to make the putty – if you have a glue of greater strength it may be better to reduce the glue amount to 1 tablespoon as a trial.
Borax doesn’t dissolve completely in this amount of water, so needs stirring just prior to adding to glue mix.
Ingredient quantities make a ball of putty slightly larger than a tennis ball.
Consistency improves with handling.
Any borax powder residue left in the putty can be washed off under a running tap.
Please use this powder under strict supervision with the children – it would be preferable if an adult made the putty in sight of the children.
Store in an airtight container.
Remove from clothing by soaking in warm water.
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Silly Putty Activity Ideas
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Open out your hand and after a while, putty should start to dribble down through your fingers!
Roll with hands, squash, squeeze, flatten, stretch, pinch, Mould and shape.
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Use different colors to marble together,
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Place putty on a slightly raised surface and watch its motion and movement. Put a small bead or similar inside the putty and wait to see when it falls out! Or leave on a flat surface to watch it spread – see when the bead becomes completely visible?
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Place a ball of putty on a surface and wait for it to flatten a little then place a smaller different colored ball in the middle, wait again and continue repeating – see what other patterns can be achieved? Butterfly shapes, ladybird spots, snake stripes etc.
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Take hand and finger prints.
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Using jelly/blancmange plastic moulds, put putty inside and wait whilst it takes on the shape – turn out onto a flat surface and watch the shape disappear!
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Cut out with shape cutters and snip with scissors.
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Add glitter/sand/sequins/rice etc to the work surface for putty to pick up!
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Compare what happens if putty is held with dry hands and then wet hands (take care - this stuff’s worse than a slippery bar of soap and bounces well !!).
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Fundraising Ideas |
As an extension to selling play dough … Put half quantities of the putty in heavy duty ‘zip lock’ bags or small plastic pots with lids, glue on a yellow paper chick and a ribbon bow for an Easter event - alternate paper character and putty colours for the seasonal event you are holding.
Or let the children create their own chick from collage resources to put onto the pot or bag.
This is a suggested warning label you could also put on the bag/pot
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Use this warning Sheet of labels.
Please use as a guide to producing your own labels and add any additional text you feel is relevant.
Health and Safety
The following points are included to inform, not alarm.
Responsible use and close supervision should ensure you have a fantastic time with your silly putty and slime.
As with most things, all household cleaners/products pose a danger in one way or another. Eg – washing up liquid for blowing bubbles or shaving foam as a malleable activity.
So it is up to each individual to decide on the suitability of using borax within their own home or setting.
If you intend to store the borax in your setting, it may require inclusion in your risk assessments, along with any other named potentially hazardous cleaning products.
 First Aid and preventative measures 
Toxicity section on Wikipedia's Borax article
Borax (Sodium Tetraborate Decahydrate), even though a naturally occurring mineral, is still a mild irritant.
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