2 parts school glue
1 part liquid starch (Target sells a non aerosal spray starch; remove sprayer to pour)
Ziploc bag
Procedure: In a Ziploc bag pour 1/4 cup of glue and 1/8 cup of starch. Seal Ziploc bag and massage with fingers for a few minutes.
Alternate Recipe
1 Tbsp. school glue
1 tsp. water
1 Tbsp Borax and water mixture
Ziploc bag
Procedure: Place 1 Tbsp. school glue and 1 tsp. of water in a Ziploc bag. Keep down at bottom of bag. Take 1 cup of warm water and place in an empty plastic bottle. Add 1 Tbsp. of Borax to plastic bottle and shake until all is disolved (use funnel to help pouring water and Borax). Add 1 Tbsp. of Borax/water solution to the Ziploc bag and massage with fingers for a few minutes.
Concept: Creating a polymer. An elastomer, is any of the elastic (returns to original shape after being deformed) polymers, which have the elastic properties of natural rubber.
Extension: Have students find an old newspaper and transfer the picture of a cartoon from the comic section onto the putty and enjoy distorting the cartoon's imaging by stretching the silly putty.
Application to the Real World: Silly Putty (Dow Corning patent 3179) was origninally created in 1943. Initial intentions were for industrial use as a sythetic (artificially made) rubber. It was unusable for this purpose, since it was not as firm as rubber. However, in 1949 an unemployed advertising executive thought would be good to market as a toy. He packaged it in plastic eggs and it has been an American toy ever since. Because of this polymer's or elastomer's natural flexibility, it can be stretched and absorb mechanical energy in a similar manner as rubber.
