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Scattered Thoughts of a Crafty Mom by Jamie Sanders

Inspiring you to sew, cook and create.

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Home / crafts / How to Make Homemade Silly Putty

How to Make Homemade Silly Putty

crafts, Crafts for Kids

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links.

Jump to Recipe
How to make homemade silly putty.
How to make Homemade Silly Putty

Have you ever wanted to learn how to make Silly Putty? If you’re looking for a fun arts and crafts idea to do with the kids, you’ll love this easy recipe on how to make your own homemade silly putty!

(printable instructions at the very bottom of post)

Have you ever wanted to learn how to make Silly Putty? If you're you looking for a fun arts and crafts idea to do with the kids, you'll love this easy recipe on how to make your own homemade silly putty!

Homemade Silly Putty Craft:

It’s been a busy summer, but we’ve still been making time for a few fun craft and kitchen projects.

On the last trip to the grocery store, I stopped by the kid’s art supply section for a bit of inspiration and stumbled across this pink glitter glue (they had green too.)  I grabbed a bottle of each color, since I just happen to know a sweet little boy and girl who would love to make something fun with glitter glue…

(And of course, mama had something very fun planned for the glue.)

 

We were going to learn how to make Homemade Silly Putty!

This homemade silly putty recipe/experiment is made with just 3 simple ingredients!

  • Borax
  • Classic Glitter Glue (not washable)
  • water

That’s it! If you can’t find the non-washable glitter glue, that’s ok!  You can make your own glitter glue with a few drops of food coloring and a few tablespoons of fine glitter.

 

How to make Homemade Silly Putty

Tips:
  • Type of glue will affect the results of the Homemade Silly Putty.  (look for non-washable)
  • If you can’t find this glitter glue, make your own with a few drops of food coloring and a few tablespoons of colored glitter.)

 

Ingredients needed for the homemade silly putty:

  • 4 oz bottle of regular school glue– not the washable kind (our first batch was made with washable glue, but the washable glue didn’t work too well, so I recommend using regular, all-purpose glue.  If you can’t find this glitter glue, make your own glitter glue with a few drops of food coloring and a few tablespoons of colored glitter.)
  • Water (equivalent to the amount of glue you are using. )
  • 1 tsp Borax
  • 4 additional oz. of warm water (this is used to dissolve the borax)

 

Instructions for the Silly Putty:

Step 1: 

Mix together a 1 to 1 mixture of glue and water.  (I made a half size batch for this demonstration.)

Sir the glue and water together until completely mixed.

Step 2:

Dissolve 1 tsp of borax into the 4 oz (1/2 cup) warm water.Pour borax water into the glue mixture and stir.

homemeade silly putty

Keep stirring, after a few seconds the glue will begin to “gel” up.

how to make silly putty

Step 3:

Pick up the glue glob and squish it around for a few moments.

how to make homemade silly putty

It will turn into a pliable, yet firm substance: Homemade Silly Putty!

DIY silly putty

It’s so cool!

If you find the “silly putty” is becoming less pliable, put it in the microwave and heat it up for 5 to 15 seconds (depending on the amount of silly putty.)  Store in a zip-loc baggie.

glitter silly putty

 

I enjoyed my little piece of silly putty too, lol.  (Makes a great adult fidget toy!)

 

Homemade silly putty

 

*As always, you’ll want to provide the appropriate supervision for different ages when working with borax.

 

Have you ever wanted to learn how to make Silly Putty? If you're you looking for a fun arts and crafts idea to do with the kids, you'll love this easy recipe on how to make your own homemade silly putty!

Want to save this project for later?  Pin it here ==>>

 

 

Looking for more fun kid craft ideas?  Check these out:

Coffee Filter Flowers

Clothes Pin Caterpillars

No Sew Bandana Bracelets

 

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Print Silly Putty Instructions here:

Print
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How to make homemade silly putty.

How to Make Homemade Silly Putty

  • Author: Jamie Sanders
  • Prep Time: 5 min
  • Total Time: 5 min
  • Yield: 1 big glob of silly putty 1x
Print Recipe
Pin Recipe

Description

How to make Homemade Silly Putty


Ingredients

Scale

4 oz bottle of regular glitter glue- not the washable kind.  If you can’t find this glitter glue, make your own with a few drops of food coloring and a few tablespoons of colored glitter.)

Water (# of oz equivalent to the amount of glue you are using. )

1 tsp Borax

4 additional oz. of warm water (this is used to dissolve the borax)


Instructions

Step 1: 

Mix together a 1 to 1 mixture of glue and water.

Sir the glue and water together until completely mixed.

Step 2:

Dissolve 1 tsp of borax into the 4 oz (1/2 cup) warm water. Pour borax water into the glue mixture and stir.

Keep stirring, after a few seconds the glue will begin to “gel” up.

Step 3:

Pick up the glue glob and squish it around for a few moments.

It will turn into a pliable, yet firm substance: Homemade Silly Putty!

It’s so cool, don’t you think?

If you find the “silly putty” is becoming less pliable, put it in the microwave and heat it up for 5 to 15 seconds (depending on the amount of silly putty.)  Store in a zip-loc baggie.


Keywords: kids crafts, glitter glue, silly putty

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May 11 · 49 Comments

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Comments

  1. amy mayen says

    July 11 at 5:23 am

    Oh, that's clever! My brat will love it, thanks!

    Reply
  2. srpprcrftr says

    July 11 at 7:39 pm

    Leave to you to figure out how to make silly putty. You are so clever and talented. Great post. Have fun with that googlie stuff. Happy summer Your daughter is so pretty.

    Reply
  3. Kristin Hajny says

    July 11 at 8:26 pm

    This is Great! I can't wait to try it out.

    Reply
  4. Amy at Ms. Toody Goo Shoes says

    July 12 at 4:17 am

    What fun! What kid wouldn't love this! PS – you were before me at the Tickled Pink party 🙂

    Reply
  5. Onellyantie Chuah says

    July 12 at 5:48 am

    How I love this kind of science experiment! Totally love this!! Thanks for sharing the finding!

    Reply
  6. Lisa says

    July 12 at 12:59 pm

    I really want to try this! I bet my son would love it!

    Reply
  7. Shawnna Silvius says

    July 12 at 2:42 pm

    My son will love this one. The glittered glue is a great touch! Thanks for sharing

    Reply
  8. Emily Thompson says

    July 12 at 10:45 pm

    pinned! So fun!!

    Reply
  9. Barb. says

    July 14 at 11:52 pm

    Borax though. Is it OK to use that with something kids are making and playing with? This is what stops me making lots of stuff for the grand child, I don't know the science but worry about some ingredients…

    Barb.

    Reply
    • Jamie says

      July 14 at 11:58 pm

      It is a very small amount of borox, and my children are old enough to not put things in there mouths, so I am not worried. You can read this excellent article and decide for yourself: http://www.crunchybetty.com/getting-to-the-bottom-of-borax-is-it-safe-or-not. And there are similar recipes using liquid starch that you can try out as well.
      ~Jamie

      Reply
      • Milagros milan says

        October 1 at 9:53 pm

        Borax is hard to find back home in philippines & even if I am here in Riyadh now still looking for borax but nothing seen ni grocery store.

        Reply
    • Arisai Santiago says

      August 16 at 9:31 pm

      I just finished making this with my girls they were so excited to make it and play with it!!!!! Thanks for sharing 😀

      Reply
  10. Selene @ Restoration Beauty says

    July 16 at 5:01 am

    I am so trying this with my daughter!! Looks so cool and easy! Your daughter is so pretty by the way! New follower!

    Reply
  11. Laura says

    July 16 at 11:09 am

    Such a great idea! I'm pinning this for later – can't wait til my daughter gets to the age of helping me in the kitchen 🙂

    Reply
  12. Britney Mills says

    July 16 at 1:29 pm

    This is such an awesome idea! With all of the nephews I have, this will definitely get used! Come share it at our On Display Monday link party

    Britney @ The Princess and Her Cowboys {dot} com

    Reply
  13. Trish - Mom On Timeout says

    July 17 at 3:58 pm

    I love making this with the kids – so fun! Pinned and featuring tonight!

    Reply
  14. Carrie says

    July 19 at 11:12 pm

    Oh, how fun!! Thank you for sharing at Sharing Saturday!!

    Reply
  15. Tara says

    July 21 at 4:37 am

    That is so cool. I love that you used the glitter glue! Thanks for sharing at Trendy Treehouse. xoxo Tara

    Reply
  16. Jenny @ The Delightful Momnesiac says

    July 21 at 1:46 pm

    Oh my goodness this looks awesome! Do I have to share it with my kid? 🙂 This would make cute gifts for birthday and Christmas.

    Reply
  17. Jamie says

    July 22 at 4:15 pm

    test

    Reply
    • Jamie says

      July 22 at 4:19 pm

      testing again

      Reply
  18. ~Adina says

    July 22 at 10:55 pm

    Awesome! I have seen that glitter glue at the craft store in lots of fun colors!

    Reply
  19. Jodi Durr says

    August 30 at 3:29 pm

    I love the glitter aspect. I just pinned this!

    Reply
  20. patashoo says

    January 5 at 4:46 pm

    This looks fun. In UK. Not seen Borax in shops so wondering if there's anything else I can use? Is Vanish the same?

    Reply
    • Jamie says

      January 5 at 4:52 pm

      I don't think so, borax is a natural mineral. You can read about it here: http://chemistry.about.com/od/moleculescompounds/f/What-Is-Borax.htm. You can make a slimier more liquid version with cornstarch: http://chemistry.about.com/od/letsmakeslime/a/Borax-Free-Slime-Recipe.htm
      ~Jamie

      Reply
    • Christine Ison says

      April 16 at 3:26 pm

      You can use liquid starch-Sta Flo brand works. You use equal amounts of glue stir in food coloring then add liquid starch and stir. Sometimes there will be extra liqud just pour it out and let the silly putty sit for 5-10 minutes then knead it for about 5 min.

      Reply
      • Jamie says

        April 16 at 3:50 pm

        Thank you! We’ll try this.

        Reply
  21. TheFrogsCreations says

    February 4 at 10:39 pm

    Can't wait to use this while babysitting! Love this experiment/activity!

    Reply
  22. Elizabeth Dovey says

    February 18 at 12:30 pm

    Hi,
    Patashoo- i am also from the uk, and I bought some from amazon.

    Reply
  23. Angela Paris says

    March 20 at 3:14 pm

    How fun! What a great idea to use glitter glue!

    Reply
  24. Meg says

    December 12 at 7:04 pm

    My borax mixture didn't gel up all the way with the glue mix. Did I do something wrong? I didn't end up with as much as you did.

    Reply
    • Jamie says

      December 13 at 4:25 pm

      By chance, did you use washable glue? My first batch was with washable Elmers glue, and it did not work either. I switched to the Classic Elmers glue and you can see how it turned out. Otherwise, maybe glue brands are different or maybe you needed more borax? It's hard to say without being there…

      Reply
  25. s.kathy tock says

    January 28 at 2:44 am

    how much borax a whole box?/

    Reply
    • Jamie says

      January 28 at 3:42 am

      Hi, its 1 teaspoon of Borax. (I updated the post so the amount of borax is listed with the ingredients.)
      ~Jamie

      Reply
  26. Unknown says

    November 30 at 4:35 pm

    Hello I was wondering if you could help me. I made one batch that turned out perfect, but my second batch is a bit sticky. What do I need to add to fix that? Thank you. [email protected]

    Reply
  27. [email protected] says

    December 1 at 5:04 am

    Is there an alternitive for Glitter Glue ? I really want to make this but don't have any glitter-glue! ( also can't be bothered to buy some )

    Reply
    • Jamie says

      December 4 at 1:14 pm

      yes, use the elmers classic/glue all add a few drops of food coloring and a few tablespoons of colored glitter.

      Reply
  28. Sarah says

    December 12 at 5:39 pm

    I'm confused. The instructions says to mix the glue and water, then says to dissolve the water with the borax and then mix with glue mixture?? So do we dissolve the borax with the warm water first then add glue? Or mix glue and water then add borax?

    Reply
    • Jamie says

      December 12 at 5:57 pm

      Sorry for the confusion, I updated the instructions and hopefully they are more clear.

      You need 2 separate amounts of water. One will be the equivalent of the amount of glue you use since you are making a 1 to 1 water/glue mixture. And the 2nd amount is used to dissolve the borax.

      Reply
  29. Savannah says

    July 16 at 3:44 pm

    Ah, this is so clever and creative! It’s such a simple little recipe, and it really could provide hours and hours of fun! My son is only 15 months old, but I think this would be such a great little sensory activity for him! Thanks so much for sharing <3

    Reply
  30. dorky unicorn says

    September 28 at 4:30 pm

    I am a kid so I will love it (PS I’m 10) . this is so YAY CRAFTS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Reply
  31. Anna Okrochelidze says

    December 9 at 7:31 am

    hello! if the kids are done with playing, can i use it again? can it be stored ? or do i have to throw it away and make another one if they want to play?

    Reply
  32. Julie says

    January 9 at 5:27 pm

    So we just made this!
    SUPER easy BUT ours came out really hard, rubbery and breaks apart easily but unable to stick it back together.
    Any ideas on what we did wrong OR what we can do differently?

    We’re going to make more for my daughter’s science fair.

    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Jamie says

      January 9 at 5:35 pm

      experiment with less borax maybe?

      Reply
  33. Stephanie says

    February 15 at 1:18 pm

    Great project! How long does the homemade silly putty generally last?

    Reply
    • Jamie says

      March 23 at 2:13 pm

      not that long, it will dry out after a while.

      Reply
  34. Vivi says

    March 28 at 5:55 am

    Hi,i love the idea but is it possible to use something else instead of borax? (Its not allowed to be sold in germany)

    Reply
    • Jamie says

      March 29 at 11:03 am

      sorry, i do not know the answer to that.

      Reply
  35. Jenny says

    March 18 at 7:20 am

    Love the putty mine is purple glitter glue

    Reply

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