Slime! (or silly putty)

Oh, yeah, another cool thingy made out of Borax.

You need:

- 1 Tbsp of Borax (where do you get Borax, you ask? The laundry aisle)
- water
- clear school glue (or regular school glue)
- food coloring *
- glitter *

* optional, but added fun

Ok, I don't have exact measurements because I couldn't find exact measurements anywhere.

Borax (sodium borate - Na₂B₄O₇)

But you need to dissolve the 1 Tablespoon of Borax into 1 Cup of water and set that aside.

Then pour probably half a regular sized bottle of glue into a bowl. Add water (not a ton) to that glue and stir it together.

Clear glue makes see-through-ish slime and the regular glue makes more of a pastel color.

Add the food coloring and/or glitter in this step, if you choose to do so.

And now for the FUN part!

Pour in the water/Borax mixture and begin stirring it together. It'll get really goopy and stringy (the polymers doing their thing) and then knead it together with your hands. (I suppose you could let the kids help)

The more you knead it, the less gooey it will be. It will eventually turn into a lump of almost rubber-like material. If you prefer it to be 'slimey',  you can add more water. My boys play with it until it dries out a bit and then add it to a bowl of water and it gets all stringy again. (Then I take a slotted spoon and spoon it back into a zip-lock baggie)

Store it in an airtight container or you no longer have 'slime.'

Yes, it will wash out of clothes. BUT, I highly suggest playing with this in a room that doesn't have carpet!

Tornados! in a bottle

You will need:

- 2 empty 2 Liter bottles (clear works better, but green will do)
water
- plastic vortex connector (sold at teacher stores or online)
if you can't find the vortex connecter, you can make this with a drill, caulk and duct tape (you can make anything with duct tape!)
- food coloring *
- glitter *
- dish soap

* optional, but fun



How to do it:

- empty (aka drink) the plastic bottles and rinse them out
- remove the labels
- fill one bottle 2/3 full of water
- put in glitter and food coloring (and/or even a drop of dish soap for bubble effect)
- screw the plastic vortex thingy on the bottle and then screw the other bottle into the top

Ok, you've got your bottles ready to make your tornado!

Tip the bottles over so that the bottle with water is on top. Spin the bottle to create a cyclone or tornado!

** To make this without the plastic vortex connector: simply drill a hole in the center of each bottle lid. Put the lids back on the bottles (after filling one with water) Put a dab of caulking on the lids and connect them. Then secure them together with a lot of duct tape :)  I personally think it's easier to purchase the plastic thingy.

Homemade Lava Lamps

You will need:

12-16 oz empty plastic bottle (preferable clear)
Vegetable oil
water
food color
Alka-seltzer tablets (1 package)

Directions:

Fill plastic bottle 3/4 full of vegetable oil.
Fill the rest of the way with water, leaving some space at the top.
Next, add 10-12 drops of food coloring (or more - the darker the better!)
Break the Alka-seltzer tablets into 8 pieces
Add 1 piece of tablet at a time - wait until completely dissolved until adding another

Once all the Alka-seltzer has been added & dissolved, put the lid back on and you have a cool 'lava lamp.'

Place a flashlight behind the bottle for a cooler effect.