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Pour mixture 1 into mixture 2. Because of the science behind this recipe, the borax combines with the PVA in the glue and makes a polymer. You could do nothing at this point and it would turn to flubber after a while. But what fun would that be? Your kids will want to stick their hands in immediately and start mixing. It will take about 10 minutes, but eventually all of the water will be absorbed, and you will have flubber!
Great pictures and good research! My flubber turned out a little crumbily and not so gooey or stretchy, what do you think my problem is? what do you recommend to get the flubber really stretchy and flexible? Thanks ?
The name flubber comes from an old movie where a scientist makes a gooey green substance that he uses to his benefit. In the movie flubber is super bouncy so he puts it on the bottom of an entire basketball teams shoes to win a big game!
hi lindsey, i made the labels myself. i am a graphic designer so i made them on the computer, then sent them to a local print shop to print on sticker paper. then i hand-cut the circles. but you could make these by hand! you just need to get the sticker paper, then trace a circle and color in with name or maybe paste a photo. good luck!! xo bar
I have been making this for years with my Prek class. they love it!!!! I have them mix the ingredients themselves in a plastic cup. I love hearing all of the wows when it turns into flubber. I will continue to do this with them an suggest that others do this as well. My daughter who is a 5th grade teacher loved it so much that she also does it every year with her 5th graders and she gets the same wows that I do!
Hey April ? Not to be a smart-alec, but just for your info, I think you are referring to a non Newtonian liquid. A Newtonian solid is a geometric math term referring to a specific s-pattern shape. Flubber is classified as a non Newtonian Liquid and also a Maxwell material.
It does work, and it makes it look pretty cool! you can add darker tones on blue and purples and make it like a galaxy themed; I did that with my students and it was so much fun to create as well as play with!.
It is a chemical reaction between the glue and borax to create a polymer. Make sure that the borax is completely dissolved in the warm water before mixing. If the ratios are off, then you will end up with extra water left over.
Hi! I teach art at an elementary school camp and was hoping to have my students make this individually. How much of each ingredient do you have each of your Pre-K students use?
Thank you,
-rae
I think a lot of people are confusing Borax with Boric Acid. They are not the same thing, although Borax is one of the ingredients in Boric Acid. Borax kills ants by drying them out, not by poisoning them. It is not toxic to humans. It is used in day cares and schools all over the world because it is safe. So many people like to jump to conclusions, when in fact, they need to do research before making any comments. I say, disregard the ignorant comments, they mean nothing, because they are incorrect.
Borax is safe for pets and children. It was suggested by my Vet as a natural way to kill fleas. Because it is a type of salt that dries bugs out. It is sold as a laundry aid (it softens the water as Salt does) which in turn makes it easier for your detergent to remove dirt. If you have hard water. Which most of us do.It is SAFE for your pets and kids. Ask a doctor or a vet. They will tell you the same thing.
Borax, sodium tetraborate decahydrate, according to one study, is not acutely toxic. Its LD50 score is tested at 2.66 g/kg in rats, meaning that a significant dose of the chemical is needed to cause severe symptoms or death. The lethal dose is not necessarily the same for humans
Borax Ingestion of 5 to 10 g by young children can cause severe vomiting, diarrhea, shock and death. 4.2 grams equals a teaspoon (amount of borax in recipe) so your child would have to consume the entire batch, plus a bit more to be affected by it.
My daughter made this with my grandkids and used green food coloring in it. I think it would have been better left natural because it *does* stain their fingers. My grandkids put pieces of it into empty film canisters or medicine bottles and then forcefully stick their fingers into the container, very effectively replicating the sound of flatulence. Needless to say, they find this quite entertaining because as we all know, if you are 5 or 6 years old there is nothing in the world funnier than a fart.
Borax is a soap Boric is a posin but as with any type of substance a child can put in their mouth a parent and or guardian should be there to watch the child and be responsible do not leave them to their own devices because the safest toy can become the deadliest. Be responsible-nonphone-no tv-no internet!!!!!
It sure is fun but borax is poison. A good replacement for borax however is potassium carbonate. This is also a salt and also forms combined with a fatty acid a SOAP. But does not have the harmful properties of borax.
I like how u said that Rhonda!! I work at a preschool and we made this in our ages 2-3 toddlers class and they loved playing with it!! There is not enough BORAX in this homemade flubber to hurt u unless u let your kids eat it all!! So there really is no need to get all upset about this unless u are a parent that keeps your child in a bubble!!
This is a typical case where the dose determines the poison. I am a chemist,, and try to represent my decisions factually., So here is my attempt at explaining why this post is uhnder-informed. Most things (including most ingredients in any hair, food, or cleaning products, NATURAL OR NOT) could kill you in their concentrated form. RAnyone ever been told to pour coca cola on your battery to clean it off? That beacause it has nitric acid, in a very low dose, as an ingredient. Nitric Acid, similar to Borax, is deadly. Yet a littlle nitricin your soda just preserves it. PLEASE feel free to message with questions.
Borax, also known as sodium borate, sodium tetraborate, or disodium tetraborate, is an important boron compound, a mineral, and a salt of boric acid. Powdered borax is white, consisting of soft colorless crystals that dissolve easily in water.
Borax has a wide variety of uses. It is a component of many detergents, cosmetics, and enamel glazes. It is also used to make buffer solutions in biochemistry, as a fire retardant, as an anti-fungal compound for fiberglass, as a flux in metallurgy, neutron-capture shields for radioactive sources, a texturing agent in cooking, and as a precursor for other boron compounds.
This is for information only and not for use in the treatment or management of an actual poison exposure. If you have an exposure, you should call your local emergency number (such as 911) or the National Poison Control Center at 1-800-222-1222.
Thanks for the additional information, it is up to the parent to research and draw their own conclusion. Appreciate the additional information, the children in my family will love it and I will do my research to decide whether to use an alternate ingredient.
This Flubber is being created by cross linking a polyvinyl alcohol(found in the glue) with a boron compound such as borax. Borax has extremely low toxicity, and is used in quite a few processes. The gelation process entails formation of a borate ester that crosslinks the chains of the PVA. Borate esters form readily by condensation of hydroxyl groups and the B-OH groups. In this reaction the borax is completely used up.
No, boric acid is NOT borax. Borax is Sodium tetraborate decahydrate or Na2B4O710H2O while Boric acid is H3BO3. The 2 chemicals are completely different is almost every way. Borax is a base with a high PH value, while Boric acid is acidic with a high PH value.
So people, before you freak out because there is chemicals in something and bash the post, do your research. If you really want to get deep download the MSDS or Material Safety Datasheet for the chemicals used. Because like people said EVERYTHING is toxic at the right amount.
Hi gang. Borax is a poison only when ingested in large amounts. Although breathing it will cause inflammation of the sinus membrane, if cleared out it will cause no permanent damage. Please read the downloadable PDF Material Safety Data Sheet from 20 Mule Team Borax Corp available online at -msds.pdf . It has a lot of information not available on the product packaging. I have used it exactly as Katie explains and have had success both in the amounts described and doubled, tripled, and even quadrupled safely. Also check out the OMSI website listed above and the Steve Spangler Science website at -borax-gak for better explanations of how the polymer is produced, longevity, storage precautions, etc. Have fun with your Flubber!!!
This is fantastic! I cant wait to make it with my grandsons! Thank you for sharing your ideas. We glean so much from this sight. Sorry you had party poopers rain on your parade. Keep up the good work and ignore the haters.
Just make sure that if it gets on your carpet or a rug, you get it up before it dries! I work with kiddos and they love making this but when it dries it turns into a hard plastic that is very difficult, if not almost impossible , to get out. Have fun!
I keep it in a ziplock bag in the fridge when the children are not playing with it. I found after a few days in a ziplock bag NOT in the fridge it smelled like crap, literally, and I had to throw it out.
I make this with my pre-K class all the time, but I use liquid starch from the laundry aisle rather than the powder kind. No need to dissolve anything. Just mix equal amounts of glue and starch and add food coloring.
It may not be the same thing but there are warnings on the box not to ingest it, etc and it can also be used to kill ants etc by mixing with sugar and water and putting on cotton balls in a small jar.
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