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How to Make Your Own Flubber
You've seen the movie. Now, find out how easy it is for kids to create this silicon polymer out of borax, water and white glue with this family project.
Is it a solid – or a liquid? Flubber, immortalized by Disney in the 1997 Robin Williams flick and The Absent-Minded Professor back in 1961, has presented that very question to throngs of inquisitive young children, in southeast Michigan and else where, for decades. But all told, it's a very simple substance. And, with a little parent supervision, they can create it right in your family's kitchen!
For this cool craft, we flipped back to the 1999 edition of Metro Parent. In a roundup of young kids' fun called "Boredom Busters," we chatted up teacher Mary Buscemi of Webster Elementary School in Livonia, who used the stuff with her special education students.
"The kids love the sensory experience of it, the feeling, the smell," Buscemi explained. "They can be creative and make what they want." A favorite activity? Pretending to make "cookies" using cookie cutters that don't cut but leave an imprint. Kids would watch with fascination as the imprint faded and the Flubber oozes back in.
Here's her how-to!
Step 1
In a large container, such as a pail, combine:
- 1 cup warm water
- 2 cups white glue
- food coloring
Step 2
In a second smaller container, combine:
- 1 1/3 cups warm water
- 3 tsp. borax
Step 3
Mix ingredients in each container thoroughly. Pour contents of smaller container into larger container. Gently lift and turn the mixture until only about a tablespoon of liquid is left. Flubber will be sticky for a moment or two. Let excess liquid drip off. Flubber will then be ready. Store in an airtight container for about three weeks of use.
