Activities & AppsAlex Munchak

Glow in the Dark Bouncy Ball

Activities & AppsAlex Munchak
Glow in the Dark Bouncy Ball

Bouncy balls are a childhood staple! Your child will love making his/her own toy. This activity is fun, but prepare to get messy! 

Materials:

  1. warm water

  2. white glue

  3. corn starch

  4. fluorescent paint (option 1, option 2 works best under UV light)

  5. plastic cups - x2

  6. craft stick or spoons to mix 

  7. measuring spoons

  8. borax powder 

**There are cheaper paint options on Amazon. Just make sure that the paint glows in the dark without the use of a black light.  If you happen to have a black light, great!  It will not matter which paint you choose. 

Directions:

  1. Mix 1/2 tablespoon of borax with 1 1/2 cups of warm water.

  2. Stir your borax solution with a craft stick until most of the powder has dissolved.

  3. In another cup, mix 1 tablespoon of glue, 1 tablespoon of cornstarch, and 1 teaspoon of fluorescent paint. Stir well with a new craft stick.

  4. Add 2 tablespoons of your borax solution to your cornstarch and glue mixture.

  5. Stir the mixture with a craft stick for about a minute. As you stir, you'll see a sticky, slimy material start to form around your craft stick! (Note: If the slime is not forming, add more borax and corn starch as needed- this is an experiment, so you may need to add a bit more until you get a slimy material)

  6. Time to get messy! Pull the slime off of your craft stick and knead it with your hands. If your slime is really sticky, dip it into your borax solution and it'll get smoother.

  7. Let the slime sit for 5 minutes and then start to knead it again- you will notice that it is starting to harden 

  8. Once you have have molded your ball, you are done!

Fun tip: To get more color, try making several slime balls with different colors of paint. Tear off parts of each ball and mix them together. To make swirling patterns of color, squeeze, and stretch the slime!

Store in zip lock bag and place in the fridge. 

I have created bouncy balls from different recipes. You can also try this recipe.  

Both recipes worked great for me! It could be fun to try both with your kids and compare the texture of your bouncy balls.  Does one bounce higher than the other?  What materials do you think affected how high the ball will bounce?

Have fun and tag @themodernteacher with videos and pictures of your glow in the dark bouncy balls!