Silly Putty Recipes for Kids

Silly putty recipes are squishy, stretchy, slimy craft recipes kids love. These homemade sensory projects can be called silly putty, slime, gak, goop, flubber or oobleck, but they all give kids a fun way to mix, squeeze, stretch and experiment.

Homemade silly putty slime gak goop flubber and oobleck recipes for kids

Homemade putty and slime-style recipes are part craft, part sensory play and part kitchen science. Kids can compare stretchy glue putty, messy cornstarch goop, edible-style peanut butter putty and reader-submitted flubber ideas.

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Why Make Homemade Silly Putty?

Making silly putty at home lets kids explore texture, movement and cause-and-effect science. Some recipes stretch, some bounce, some ooze, and some change from solid-feeling to liquid-feeling depending on how kids touch them.

What Kids Learn From Slime and Putty Recipes

  • Measuring and mixing
  • Texture words such as sticky, stretchy, slimy, thick and runny
  • Cause and effect as liquids turn into putty or goop
  • Hand strength and sensory exploration
  • Basic science ideas such as polymers and non-Newtonian fluids
  • Problem solving when a mixture is too sticky, too dry or too runny
Safety note: Many putty and slime recipes are not edible. Use adult supervision with borax, liquid starch, glue and food coloring. Keep slime away from eyes, mouths, carpets, hair, furniture and clothing. Wash hands after play.

Adults should supervise hot ovens, stovetops and sharp kitchen tools. Review basic kitchen safety rules for kids before starting craft recipes that involve heat or cooking.

Peanut Butter Putty Recipe

Peanut butter putty recipe for kids

This edible-style putty is made with food ingredients, but it should still be treated as supervised sensory play.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup peanut butter
  • 1 1/4 cups dry milk
  • 1 cup white corn syrup
  • 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar

Directions

  1. Place all ingredients in a mixing bowl.
  2. Mix until creamy and dough-like.
  3. Knead until workable.
  4. Use on a clean tray or plate.
Allergy note: This recipe contains peanut and dairy ingredients. Do not use for children with peanut, milk or corn syrup concerns.

Kids Craft Recipe Book

Silly Putty Tip

Putty can stick to clothing, so have children wear aprons or old shirts. If putty sticks to fabric, soak the fabric in warm water before washing.

Silly Putty

This glue and starch recipe makes a classic stretchy putty.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup white school glue
  • 2 1/2 cups liquid starch
  • Food coloring, optional

Directions

  1. In a bowl, mix glue and 1 cup liquid starch together.
  2. Stir in a few drops of food coloring if desired.
  3. Cover the bowl and let it sit overnight.
  4. The next day, slowly stir in 1 to 1 1/2 cups more liquid starch until a large blob forms.
  5. Pour off extra starch.
  6. Store in an airtight container.
Reminder: This recipe is not edible. Keep away from mouths, eyes, hair and fabric.
Homemade silly putty slime recipe for kids

Oobleck Recipe

Oobleck is a simple cornstarch and water activity. It feels hard when squeezed quickly but flows when you relax your hand.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup water
  • 1 box cornstarch
  • Several drops green food coloring

Directions

  1. Add cornstarch to a large bowl or tray.
  2. Slowly add water and stir.
  3. Add green food coloring if desired.
  4. Mix until the oobleck feels thick but still flows slowly.
  5. Spoon into plastic sandwich bags or jars if storing briefly.
Science idea: Oobleck is a non-Newtonian fluid. It can act like a solid when you press it quickly and like a liquid when you move slowly.
Cleanup tip: Do not pour large amounts of oobleck down the drain. Scrape it into the trash first, then wash the bowl.

Gak Recipe

Homemade gak recipe for kids

Ingredients

  • 2 cups glue, or one 7 to 8 ounce bottle
  • 1/2 cup water
  • Food coloring, optional
  • 1 tablespoon borax
  • 1 cup hot water

Directions

  1. Combine glue, 1/2 cup water and food coloring in a bowl.
  2. In a separate container, dissolve borax in 1 cup hot water.
  3. Slowly add the borax mixture to the glue mixture.
  4. Work quickly as the mixture thickens.
  5. Drain off excess water.
  6. Store in a plastic bag or container with a lid.

Blue homemade gak slime recipe

Borax safety: Borax should be handled by an adult and should not be eaten. Have children wash hands after play.

Goop Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 cup cornstarch
  • 2 to 3 drops food coloring or 1 package Kool-Aid

Directions

  1. Mix cornstarch and water in a large bowl or flat casserole dish.
  2. Add food coloring or Kool-Aid for color.
  3. If the mixture is too dry, add a few more drops of water.
  4. Use on an easy-to-clean surface.

Reader Submitted Silly Putty Recipes

Oobleck Recipe

Submitted by Thelma from Florida

Ingredients

  • 1 cup water
  • 1 box cornstarch
  • Several drops green food coloring

Directions

  1. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl.
  2. Spoon into plastic sandwich bags or jars.
  3. Label the containers as messy and use only on easy-to-clean surfaces.

Flubber

Submitted by Sara from Ohio

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup white school glue
  • 1/2 tablespoon warm water
  • 2 teaspoons warm water

Directions

  1. Stir ingredients together for 2 to 3 minutes.
  2. Reach into the mixture to find the glop of flubber.
  3. Use on a tray or washable surface.

Ultimate Flubber

Submitted by A Soon-to-Be Fashion Designer from the USA

This is a flexible reader-submitted idea without exact measurements. It creates a green slime-style flubber.

Supplies

  • Green lime gelatin
  • Warm water
  • White school glue
  • Plastic bowl
  • Plastic spoon
  • Green and yellow food coloring

Directions

  1. Mix glue and warm water together, using less water than glue for a slimier texture.
  2. Mix in a little green lime gelatin.
  3. Add green and yellow food coloring.
  4. Stir until combined.
  5. Cover with plastic wrap.
  6. Place in the refrigerator until the texture changes.
Green homemade slime recipe Green flubber slime activity for kids

Silly Putty and Slime Video

Silly Putty Activity Ideas

Stretch Test

See which recipe stretches the longest before breaking.

Texture Words

Describe the mixture as sticky, smooth, slippery, stretchy, runny or firm.

Color Mixing

Make small batches in different colors and mix them together.

Oobleck Science

Tap it quickly, then let your hand sink slowly to compare how it feels.

Tray Play

Use a tray, cookie sheet or plastic tablecloth to keep the mess contained.

Storage Test

Store samples in containers and compare texture changes the next day.

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Silly Putty Recipes FAQ

What is the difference between silly putty, slime, gak and oobleck?
Silly putty, slime and gak are stretchy or squishy mixtures often made with glue and starch or borax. Oobleck is made from cornstarch and water and acts like both a liquid and a solid.
Is homemade silly putty edible?
Most silly putty and slime recipes are not edible. Peanut butter putty uses food ingredients, but it should still be supervised and avoided if there are peanut, dairy or corn syrup concerns.
How do you store homemade silly putty?
Store homemade putty, gak or slime in an airtight container or sealed plastic bag. Throw it away if it dries out, smells bad or becomes dirty.
Why does oobleck feel hard and runny?
Oobleck is a non-Newtonian fluid. It can feel solid when pressed quickly and run like a liquid when handled slowly.
What can kids learn from making slime and putty?
Kids can explore measuring, mixing, texture, cause and effect, polymers, sensory play, hand strength and basic science concepts.

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Share Your Silly Putty Recipes

Have a favorite slime, gak, goop or silly putty recipe? Share your idea or use these recipes as inspiration for your next creative kitchen activity.

Submit your favorite kids recipe

Do you have a favorite recipe your kids love to make? Or a recipe your kids ask you to make again and again? Share it with us!

Reader's Submitted Recipes

Click below to see contributions from other visitors to this page...

Flubber without Borax 
Ingredients needed: -One bottle of glue -Any type of stain remover spray -Food coloring (optional) - Something to mix with - Bowl Steps to …

Click here to write your own.

 
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