We read the book “So You Want to be an Inventor,” it’s a great story that talks about different inventors and the many different ways inventors work.
For me the great joy was finding all of these different inventors in different places. I was very surprised to find out Goodyear (I’ll go back and get his first name) was from Connecticut, I would have thought Michigan. He’s a great lesson in persistence. He spent over 10 years and most of his money, finally going broke before he figured out how to vulcanize rubber so it could be made into the many different things we use it for now.
And here’s where I remembered Christy from Superheroes and Princesses had done an experiment with Borax and glue to make bouncy balls, while not rubber, it’s still similar enough. {edited to add, Superheroes and Princesses has since gone private, so I’m adding the instructions to the end of the blog post.}
Well, we started working and mixing, and I got a few steps in the mixing wrong.
And then the problems really set in. I let the kids measure the ingredients and I think they didn’t add quite enough cornstarch. It was a hugely sticky mess. Out of 10 kids, and my sample I think we got maybe 2 functional ones. So, instead of being a neat lesson about how cool this pseudo bouncy ball is, it became a lesson in perseverance and how experiments don’t always work out…….. Oops.
It was still an enjoyable lesson. It just didn’t work out how I thought it would.
I’m hoping someone had a successful science lesson this week. This particular one was not as successful as we’d hoped.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 tsp Borax powder
- food coloring
- 1 TBSP glue
- 1 TBSP cornstarch
- 2 disposable cups
- Pour 2 TBSP warm water and 1/2 tsp Borax powder into a disposable cup
- Stir until the powder is dissolved (may take some time)
- Pour 1 TBSP glue (we used regular Elmer’s glue) into a separate disposable cup
- Add 1/2 tsp of the borax solution you made to the cup with the glue – do not stir
- Add 1 TBSP cornstarch to the glue/borax solution – do not stir
- Allow the ingredients to interact on their own for 15 seconds, and then stir to fully mix the ingredients (this is part of where we went wrong)
- Once it is impossible to stir, take it out of the cup and mold it with your hands
- It starts out sticky and messy, but solidifies as you knead it
- Once the ball is less sticky, you can bounce it.
- Store it in a sealed plastic bag
Sounds like an appropriate lesson, even if a frustrating one…
We've been playing, playing, playing, with no science. Maybe next week…
A gooey mess is always fun =)
When we did not succeed with our rock candy, my uncle (who happens to be a scientist) told me that you learn a lot more from failed science experiments than you do from those that succeed. I still wished we had rock candy.
Lessons were definitely learned, even if not the ones you hoped!
I am making a note of that book you mentioned about inventors…we're planning to study some inventors soon. It sounds like a book we'd like!
Well, they didn't learn what you intended, but they did learn how it's very important to measure accurately and how precise science experiments need to be (sometimes)! I have to look up that bouncy ball idea; I'm sure Matthew would love that!
I just came across this link up. I am excited to be a part of it. Thanks!
Oh I think this would be great fun to try! Science is always filled with problem solving, but there's always something to learn even from “failed” experiments!
I think it's true that failed experiment teach more than successful ones, especially when successful experiments are performed by parents. I will have to look for that book one day.
I agree with Natalie. Science is all about experimenting, some work and some don't, but that is why we try again, learning from our mistakes as we go.
We have plenty of learning experiences that aren't exactly what we set out to do. I think we all learn something in those moments though. And I'm sure the kids had fun playing in the sticky goo!
We are working on a blue footed booby unit study. I don't have all the booby projects we are doing posted yet. But I wrote a review of the study and listed projects. I will post more on individual booby projects soon and link them up with Science Sunday. This is an amazing bird that doesn't quite fit in with previous bird assumptions in the science community.