# Popping Putty Goo
> Mix clear glue, warm water, gel food color and liquid starch into stretchy rainbow silly putty. Then sprinkle on Pop Rocks and listen as the putty pops and melts into a colorful goo.
- URL: https://www.funlittles.com/sensory-activities-for-kids-popping-putty-goo/
- Ages: 3–6 yrs · Difficulty: easy · Mess: high
- Time: prep 35 min, activity 30 min
- Works for: one-on-one, small group, whole class · one batch serves about 1 kids
- Skills: sensory-exploration, fine-motor, colors, science, cause-and-effect
- Cautions: food-dye, ingestion-risk

## Materials (one batch)
- 2 tbsp Clear glue
- 1 tbsp Warm water (household)
- 1 squirt Gel food coloring
- 2 tbsp Liquid starch
- 1 tsp Pop Rocks popping candy
- Glitter (optional)
- 1 piece Small bowl (household)
- 1 piece Measuring spoons (tbsp and tsp) (household)
- 1 piece Disposable souffle cups with lids
- 1 piece Flat storage box (under-bed style)

## Substitutions
- Instead of gel food color: Liquid watercolor (The author notes that food color or water color can be added to the putty. Anything else breaks the polymer bonds.)

## Safety
- The putty is NOT edible. Glue and liquid starch are not taste-safe. Once the Pop Rocks go into the putty, none of it goes in mouths, even though the candy itself is food.
- Supervise closely the whole time. Kids may want to taste the candy-covered putty.
- Adult measures and pours the liquid starch. Keep it away from eyes and wash hands well after play.
- Gel food color may stain hands, clothes and surfaces.
- Keep the play inside a flat container, such as an under-bed storage box, so the goo stays contained.

## Before you start
- Make one batch of silly putty per color and pack each into a souffle cup.
- Set out a flat storage box at the play table to contain the mess.

## Steps
1. Put 2 tbsp of clear glue into a small bowl.
2. Add 1 tbsp of warm water and 1 squirt of gel food color, then mix to make colored glue.
3. Slowly add 1 tbsp of liquid starch, mixing as you go.
4. Add a second tbsp of liquid starch in small increments, and stop as soon as you like the stretch.
5. Pack the putty into a souffle cup. Repeat with a new color for each batch to make a rainbow.
6. Set the putty in a flat storage box, then grab, stretch and squish all the colors.
7. Sprinkle about 1 tsp of Pop Rocks onto each colored putty and listen to it pop.
8. Squish, pinch and pull the popping putty as it turns into gelatinous goo.
9. Clean up: fill the container with warm water, let it sit 20 minutes, then wash off the putty.

## Tips
- Add the starch slowly. If you add it slowly, you will have created your silly putty. When you are satisfied with the stretch, just stop adding starch and pack it up.
- Adding anything other than food color or water color breaks the bonds that make the putty a polymer, so the Pop Rocks turn it into goo. Those poor bonds were badly broken, but oh boy, the process was amazing!
- Without the Pop Rocks the putty gets stretchier as you play. With them it becomes a gelatinous goo that still POPS!
- Add more Pop Rocks, add less, experiment! It's all about going through the process of "What if".
- Place all the silly putty inside a flat container like an under-bed storage box. Cleanup is easier when the activity stays in one area.
- Everything is fab with glitter. Our yellow putty had some in it.
- For slime-fixing tips and tricks, the author points to Fun at Home with Kids' post on fixing slime that didn't work out.

## The original post by TurkeyMom (2015)

Play with homemade silly putty in rainbow colors. Then add a bit of pop to them and enjoy this sensory activity while playing with the resulting putty goo. 

To make the rainbow *homemade silly putty*, you will need

- **[Clear Glue](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001G9EBDG/?tag=blmemo-20)**
- **[Liquid Starch](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0042SWOHI/?tag=blmemo-20)**
- **[Soft Gel Paste](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0029YDR82/?tag=blmemo-20)**

**Method** In a small bowl, add 2 TBSP of clear glue. Add 1 TBSP of warm water. Add 1 squirt of your gel food color { we LOVE Amerigel- link above} and mix them all. Now you will have your colored glue. Slowly add 1 TBSP of liquid starch and keep mixing. Add 1 more TBSP of liquid starch. But this second TBSP must be added in small increments. You may or may not need to use the entire spoon. When you are satisfied with the stretch, just stop adding the liquid starch and pack it up. If you add the starch slowly, you will have created your silly putty. { Slime fixing tips and tricks on this [**fantastic post**](http://www.funathomewithkids.com/2014/06/how-to-fix-slime-that-didnt-work-out.html) from Fun at home with kids} I used disposable souffle cups to temporarily store the souffle cups { they would make wonderful party favors}

### Sensory Activities for Kids : Playing with silly putty

{ All our [**sensory activities for kids**](https://www.funlittles.com/category/messy-play-2/) here} { Our low-mess [**sensory bins**](https://www.funlittles.com/category/sensory-bins/) here} This yellow slime has some glitter in it. Well, everything is fab with glitter. Amiright? No?  Just playing with the silly putty was an amazing feeling.  The kids just grabbed and squished all the colors.  After just playing with the regular silly putty slime, it was time to add some sound effects to it. *Tip* [Be sure to place all the silly putty inside a flat container like a under the storage bed. { We like to use **[storage boxes](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004QJGW6C/?tag=blmemo-20) l**ike these } Clean up should be easier if the sensory activity is contained inside a specified area.] Now it is well known { and explained to me by our very own super talented recipe creator Asia ( of [**Fun at Home with Kids**](http://www.funathomewithkids.com))} that adding anything other than food color/water color to slime changes the chemical composition and breaks the bonds that make this component a polymer. But that didn't stop us. It's all about experimenting and going through the process of "What if". So we went ahead and tried it and the results were expected. Those poor bonds were badly broken ha!! But oh boy! the process was amazing. So we added about 1 TSP of pop rocks on each colored silly putty. Add more less, add less, experiment!! Once the candy hits the putty they start popping. { The trapped carbon di oxide gets released and cools down}  The children found it exciting to be engaged in sensory activities like these; ones that engage all their senses. It was great playing with homemade silly putty that POPS!  Without the pop rocks the putty gets stretchier as you play. When you add the "sound effects" the silly putty becomes more of a gelatinous goo that still POPS! The 4 year thoroughly enjoyed the pops while she squished, pinched and pulled the silly putty. After a while of playing with this slime that makes so much noise, we were left with putty goo! Oh colorful, gorgeous putty goop.  **Clean up** Fill up the container with warm water and let it sit for 20 minutes. Then just wash off the putty and you should have your container sparkly clean.

Have you seen our

- [**Borax-free, 5 minute, microwave slime**](https://www.funlittles.com/sensory-activities-for-kids-1-ingredient-edible-slime-recipe/)
- [**Rainbow edible water beads**](https://www.funlittles.com/sensory-activities-edible-water-beads/)
- [**DIY treasure gems and rocks**](https://www.funlittles.com/play-recipe-homemade-rocks-gems/)
- [**No-cook Marshmallow Playdough**](https://www.funlittles.com/edible-playdough-recipe-no-cook-marshmallow-playdough/)
- [**Edible Sand**](https://www.funlittles.com/edible-sand-recipe/)