And Water?
Make Flubber!
Keep your kids entertained for hours!
FLUBBER
Borate solution:
2/3 cup warm water
1 1/2 teaspoon powdered Borax
3 drops food coloring
Mix together in a 1 cup measuring cup using a
wooden spoon
Glue Solution:
3/4 cup warm water
1 cup white
school glue
Mix together in a mixing bowl using a wooden spoon
Pour the borate solution into the bowl with glue solution (This is the way
mobie cool part! Resist the temptation to do it yourself and let the kids do
it!).
Use your hands to gently lift and turn the mixture until only one
tablespoon of liquid is left. Flubber will be sticky for a moment or two.
After the excess liquid has dripped off, Flubber is ready. Store in a
plastic bag in the refrigerator.
When you are through, discard in a waste can. DO NOT try to wash it down
the sink. If it dries on carpet or clothing, cover it with a cloth soaked in
vinegar to de-gel it, then wash the area with detergent and water.
From this site, we learn why this counts as science:
What has happened? How does it feel? What happens if you stretch it? If you roll
it in to a ball? If you place it over another object?
Polymers are made by a chemical reaction, they are long chains of repeating units. When the two solutions are combined, polyvinyl acetate chains (from the white
glue) are linked together in a three-dimensional arrangement by Borate ions
(from the Borax) and other chemical bonds. This produces the sticky polymer
that we call Flubber.
Have fun!
