MAKING SILLY PUTTY

to learn about Polymers

Dave, Michelle, Aaron

1)                 Make 2 long chains of paper clips by hooking the paper clips together end to end.  Make sure your chains are at least 5 paper clips long. This is what the Elmer’s Glue would look like if it were big enough for you see all the tiny parts that it’s made of.

2)                 Play with the chains. 

**Do they move around and bend easily?

3)                 Line up your paper clip chains next to each other so they look like this:

µµµµµµµµµµ

µµµµµµµµµµ

4)                 Using the pipe cleaners, connect the 2 chains in different places.  This is what will happen to the glue when you mix in the Borax to make your silly putty. The Borax is a binder, and it links all the glue together just like the pipe cleaners.

**How do the pipe cleaners change your paper clip chains? Do they still move and wiggle like they did before? Is it harder to move them now?

Now, lets make Silly Putty!!!!!

1)     Pick the color you want to make your silly putty.  Take a few drops of food coloring and mix it into the glue in the big cup until there is no white showing.

2)     Pour the Borax in the small cup into the big cup with the     Elmer’s Glue in it.

**Watch how the mixture changes.  What happens to the glue when you add the Borax?

3)     Stir it around for a few minutes until it’s thick.  Then, take it out of the cup and roll it around in your hands until it is no longer sticky.

    **What kind of properties does your silly putty have?

**Does it bounce? Stretch? What other things can you make your silly      putty do?

4)   Put your silly putty in the plastic egg so you can take it home and play with it!