Craft and Science Recipes
Play Doh
- Flour
- Water
- Salt
- Vegetable Oil
- Cream of Tartar
1. Mix 2 cups of Water and 2 cups of Flour and 1 cup of Salt and 2 Tablespoons of Vegetable Oil and 1 Tbsp of Cream of Tartar into pot.
2. Cook the mixture stirring all the time, until the mixture turns into a dough (don’t stop stirring or it will burn! ).
3. Let cool and knead until it is a nice consistency.
4. Divide up the dough and colour by kneading in food colouring (protect surfaces with wax paper).
5. Store in airproof containers.
Oobleck
- Cornstarch
- Water
- Food Colouring (Optional)
(If you haven’t read Dr. Seuss’s excellent “Bartholomew and the Oobleck you should …. It’s fun and fun is good!”)
1. Add 4 tablespoons of cornstarch and add water bit by bit until the mixture is about as thick as yoghurt (you can add colouring too)
2. You will have Oobleck when it feel stiff (like a solid) when you stir it fast …. But gooey (like a liquid ) when you stir it slowly
Slime
- Borax
- Food Colouring
- Water
- Guar Gum (Food thickener – look in a health food store)
1. Add 1 teaspoon of guar gum to 1-1 ½ cups of water. (Add food colouring if you like)
2. Stir the mixture. Heat until it boils, stirring continuously.
3. Remove from heat and stir in Borax one spoonful at a time. Slime will begin to form
4. Let the slime cool
5. Slime starts to disintegrate after about 24 hours
Goop
- Borax
- White Glue
- Food Colouring
- Popsicle stick/Chopstick (for stirring)
1. Make a Borax Solution: 1/8 cup of Borax cleaning powder into 2 cups of warm water. Stir until most of the Borax dissolves. Let cool.
2. Put a spoonful or two of white glue on a plate.
3. Add about ½ tablespoon of water to the glue. Add more water for a gooier/snot-like texture.
4. Gently mix the water and the glue (don’t whip the mixture –if it foams it won’t work as well)
5. If you wish, add some food colouring to the glue/water mixture and stir.
6. Now slowly start to add about 2 tablespoons of Borax solution while continuing to stir. The moment you add the Borax, the glue will start to stick to the chopstick.
7. Continue to mix until all that is on the plate is stuck to the chopstick.
8. Remove the goop from the chopstick and roll it around in your hand.
9. Goop is weird and wonderful. Try letting it ooze through your fingers. Then pull it apart quickly and watch it snap!
Fake Blood
- toothpick
- cup
- sandwich baggie
- white corn syrup
- red food colouring
- cornstarch
- cocoa
1. Place two spoonfuls of clear syrup into a cup.
2. Add 1 spoonful of water.
3. Stir with a toothpick.
4. Add 2 drops of red food colouring. Stir with the toothpick.
5. Pour the mixture into a baggie.
6. To the mixture, add 2 pinches of cornstarch and 1 pinch of cocoa.
7. Squish the cornstarch and cocoa into the mixture.
Fake Barf
- frying pan
- spatula
- plate
- measuring cup
- spoon
- apple sauce
- powdered cocoa
- oatmeal
- raisin bran cereal
- 1 packet unflavoured gelatin
1. Put ¼ cup of apple sauce into the frying pan.
2. Heat the apple sauce. As you’re heating it add 1 packet unflavoured gelatin and stir.
3. Add 1-2 pinches of powdered cocoa and stir thoroughly.
4. Turn off the heat
5. Put a small amount of oatmeal into the mixture. Stir a bit, but leave chunky bits.
6. Put a small amount of raisin bran into the mixture. Stir a bit.
7. Spread the barf on the plate until it looks real
8. Allow to cool for several hours.
Invisible Ink
- lemon
- bowl
- spoon
- water
- cotton swabs
- white paper
- lamp or iron
1. Squeeze the lemon juice into the bowl.
2. Add some water and stir with the spoon.
3. Using the cotton swab, write your message onto the paper.
4. Wait for the ink to dry.
5. Heat the paper by holding it over a lamp or by placing an iron over it.
6. Read your message
Crazy Putty
- 1 tablespoon Elmer’s carpenter’s glue
- 1 tablespoon of Borax
- 1 cup of water
- food colouring
- 1L pop bottle with cap
- film canister
- stir stick
1. Mix the Borax and water in a pop bottle and stir until most of the powder dissolves and set aside
2. Mix glue and 1 teaspoon water in film canister. Add a drop of food colouring and mix well.
3. Add tablespoon of borax and water solution to coloured glue mixture.
4. Mix for 2 minutes or so until the liquids start to form a puttylike substance.
5. Remove putty and discard of remaining liquid.
6. Squeeze putty in hands to remove excess liquid.
7. Watch putty bounce, stretch
8. Repeat the process for more batches of putty
Bubble Solutions
Baby Shampoo Version
- 1 part Johnson’s Baby Shampoo
- 1 part water
- Glycerine (buy at drugstore : if you can’t find it … some people do substitute KARO syrup)
Mix these together gently (the glycerine amount can be tweaked … usually will be about 1-3 teaspoons per litre).
Let the solution stand for 24 hours or so (to strengthen the “bubble bonds”) and have fun!
Please note: If you have a high amount of iron or mineral in your local water use distilled water (can buy at drugstore).
You can also double the amount of shampoo to make the solution more durable and thicker
Dish Soap Version
- 1 part dish soap (Blue Dawn is best – avoid Antibacterial ones)
- 12 parts water
- Glycerine (buy at drugstore : if you can’t find it … some people do substitute KARO syrup)
Mix these together gently (the glycerine amount can be tweaked … usually will be about 1-3 teaspoons per litre).
Let the solution stand for 24 hours or so (to strengthen the “bubble bonds”) and have fun!
Please note: If you have a high amount of iron or mineral in your local water use distilled water (can buy at drugstore)
Bounce-tastic Bubbles
- 1 cup baby shampoo
- 1 package of unflavoured gelatine (like Knox)
- 1 cup hot water (freshly boiled)
- 1/4 – 1/5 cup of glycerine (experiment with amount)
Stir gelatin into hot water and then add shampoo and glycerine … bubbles will bounce!
(if the solution cools and starts to gel … gently reheat in microwave for 1 – 2 minutes)