How to Play With Silly Putty

Press Silly Putty on a piece of printed material to make an imprint. Because printing practices have improved over the past 50 years, many printed materials don't rub off on Silly Putty the way they used to. To avoid disappointment, choose a cheaply printed newspaper or comic book with ink that rubs off on your hands while reading. After making an imprint, stretch the putty to distort the imprinted picture and/or words.

Roll Silly Putty into a ball and place it on a flat surface. Hit the putty with a hammer or your fist and see what happens. Next, apply gentle pressure to the putty ball and see what happens.

Bounce the Silly Putty. Roll it into a ball and bounce it at room temperature, then place the ball into the freezer for an hour or more and bounce it again to see the difference.

Roll room-temperature putty into a ball and leave it on a flat surface for a day to see how it changes over time. Place it on a refrigerator shelf or a sunny windowsill for a day and see if anything different happens.

Roll the putty into a ball and stick it to the side of a wall or large appliance. Inspect the ball over the next few days to see whether it moves or not.

Pull the putty slowly and gently, then roll it into a ball again and pull quickly and forcefully. See if the putty reacts differently.

Place the putty in its original egg-shaped container and place it in water. Take the putty out, roll it into a ball and place it in water to see whether it sinks or floats. Manipulate the putty into different shapes to see whether these shapes float or sink. Add vinegar and baking soda to the water and see whether it makes a difference in whether the putty sinks or floats.