Fun and easy-to-make, this engaging STEM activity will have children bouncing with joy! Kids will love making their own DIY Bouncy Balls and exploring the science behind their new favorite toy.
What is a DIY Bouncy Ball?
Most everyone has played with a bouncy ball, but have you ever made your own? DIY Bouncy Balls are an easy and fun way to incorporate STEM learning into your home or classroom. Using common ingredients found at home or at school, kids can mix up their elastic creation, personalize it by adding glitter or different colors, and roll and shape their mixture to form their own bouncy balls for hours of fun.
How Can I Use This In My Lesson Plan?
Making DIY Bouncy Balls is the perfect way to encourage scientific explorations and introduce simple concepts like the scientific method. For example, before children begin creating their bouncy balls you can ask them what ingredient they think makes the balls bounce. Does the glue make it bounce? Does the water make it bounce? Posing these questions can inspire scientific inquiry and help children develop their critical thinking and problem-solving skills. After they make their bouncy balls you can ask the same questions again or expand your discussion by asking children what they might change in future experiments. Will they add more glue? What will happen if they add less glue, will the balls lose their bounce?
This fun interdisciplinary activity can also be extended to focus on early math concepts! Encourage children to predict how far their ball will bounce and measure the distance once it's come to a stop. You can record your findings as a class and discuss if their predictions were correct. Children will love sharing how far their balls bounced and comparing outcomes with their classmates. If students are at home and meeting virtually, this experiment can be conducted individually and children can share their results at their next class meeting, giving the children a way to connect even though they might be apart.
Download our FREE printable below!
Required Materials:
- 1 Cup of Very Warm Water
- 1 Tablespoon of Borax
- Clear or Glitter Glue
- Bowl
- Spoon
- Clean Surface
1Gather Your Materials
To make your DIY Bouncy Balls you will need very warm water, Borax, and glue. Grownups, make sure to supervise children as they measure out their Borax, or have the ingredients pre-measured and ready for use ahead of time.
2Combine Your Ingredients
Pour 1 cup of very warm water into a bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of Borax and mix until it is mostly dissolved. Pour approximately 1 tablespoon of clear or glitter glue into your solution. Hand mix the ingredients together until the glue starts to harden and is no longer sticky. Shape the mixture into a ball shape using your hand.
3Time To Play!
Roll the mixture on a clean, smooth surface to create your bouncy ball's shape. Give it a few minutes to dry and give your bouncy balls a try. Watch how high they bounce and let the fun begin!
Encourage science explorations with engaging STEM activities! Browse our selection of related activities to incorporate STEM into your home or classroom.