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How to Do a Bouncing Polymer Ball

One of the simplest of all childhood toys, but one that can also provide enormous amounts of fun, is the rubber bouncy ball. The immense bouncing capabilities of these small blobs of rubber polymer keep children entertained for long periods of time on a minimal budget, but they can also be used to teach children how science is applied to the manufacture of toys. Help your child to make his own bouncy ball so that he can see how the interactions of different ingredients alter the properties of an object.

Things You'll Need

Borax
Cornstarch
Clear glue -- for a transparent ball
White glue -- for an opaque ball
Teaspoon
Tablespoon
Food coloring
2 Plastic containers
Marker Pen
Water

Instructions

- 1
  Label one of your containers "Borax Solution" and the other one "Polymer Mixture". Add 2 tbsp. of lukewarm water and ½ a tsp. of borax powder into the "Borax Solution" container, stirring until the borax has dissolved. If you wish to color your polymer bouncy ball, add a few drops of food coloring to the mixture at this point.
- 2
  Add one tbsp. of the glue to the container labelled "Polymer Mixture" and then add 1 tbsp. of cornstarch and ½ tsp.of the borax solution mixture. Leave the ingredients to interact for 15 seconds and then begin stirring the mixture until it becomes too thick to stir anymore.
- 3
  Remove the ball from the container and mold it in your hands. The ball will be sticky at first but as you mold it will dry and become a solid mass of rubber. When the ball is sufficiently dry, try throwing it at flat surfaces and watch how far it bounces.
- 4
  Tidy your work area and carefully dispose of all materials used. The mixture you made is toxic and will be dangerous if it is left lying around.

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