Have a go at this simple homemade flubber recipe for kids. It’s quick to make, uses only a few common household ingredients and will have your children playing for hours. Great for sensory play and developing fine motor skills.
Making flubber has been on my list of things to make for a very long time. In fact making it today made me wonder why I’d waited so long. I’d quickly whipped some up while Possum (aged 3 years) was at kindergarten and I’m so glad that I did. She just loved playing with it. Flubber has a very unusual goopy texture that is rubbery and has a lot of stretch. It’s hard not to want to get your fingers into it.
Recommended age: 5+ years old or sensible enough not to eat
(Active supervision is required on all my crafts and activities.)
To make this awesome homemade flubber recipe you will need –
- 2 x bowls
- spoon
- 3/4 cup cold water
- 1/2 cup hot water
- 1 cup Elmer’s glue
- 1 tsp borax
- Food colouring
For those not keen on using a Borax recipe, allow me to suggest this awesome goop.
So here is what you need to do with the ingredients –
1st step – Mix together the cold water, a few drops of food colouring and glue in bowl 1.
2nd step – In second bowl mix together borax and hot water. Stir until borax has completely dissolved.
3rd step – Slowly add the glue mixture to the borax mixture and stir well.
4th step – Pour off any excess water and you’re ready to play!
Of course you can colour your flubber whatever colour you like!
This colour was achieved with four drops of blue food colouring.
This flubber makes for such an interesting sensory experience for kids.
It’s like touching squishy rubber.
You can quickly pull it apart and the rubbery texture breaks, as shown above.
You can also stretch this flubber!
We had fun challenging each other to see who could stretch it the longest before it broke. This was a fun way for Possum to learn about how to make rough estimates of length and problem solve ways to improve on previous attempts.
Flubber is lots of fun for kids. We will be sure to make it again sometime soon as Possum really enjoyed the textural experience. Next time we might decide to make it in various colours or make something similar without Borax.
What colour flubber would your child choose?
Please note this important information
Some people may not wish to use this recipe because it includes Borax. Borax is considered toxic if eaten. It’s important that you consider those playing with this flubber and avoid it if there is a possibility of them tasting it. Constant supervision is required at all times. There are various opinions for and against using Borax, but safety must always come first.
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Is the glue clear glue or white glue?
Great question thanks Sonja! I used white glue.
Either one works. It just affects the colour of the finished product. If you use clear glue, it comes out more see-through.
Thanks for the great feedback Beverley. 🙂
Where can you find Elmer’s glue in Australia? Thanks
Hi Paulina! Thanks for your question. I think I purchased mine from Spotlight, but if you can’t find it there I would also suggest Officeworks or Bunnings. I’m sure I’ve spotted the glue there too. Might be worth calling them first to double check. I can be hard to find. Having said that, regular PVA glue could possibly work too.
Clear
hi Kate, the recipe sounds awesome! I’ve got the ingredients but I don’t want to make such a large amount. when I divide the borax and the glue, do I divide the water too?
Absolutely Lorra. 🙂 A smaller amount would be easily done by dividing all the ingredients. Have lots of fun!!
Hi Kate,
I wanot to make it but actually borax it something that I h haven’t used yet so can I use vinegar as a subsitute or something else that would work.
Please do let me know so I can make it
Neha xox
Hi Neha!
The borax is actually quite an important ingredient in making this flubber and I really can’t suggest a replacement for it. There are lots of great slime type recipes around but to achieve the rubbery texture you’ll need borax.
What about Diatomaceous Earth? You can get one that is edible. Not that you want your children to eat it, but it’s natural and similar to borax. I mix it in my juice every day it’s a wonderful supplement! if your not familiar with it Google it. The only thing you have to be careful with is when mixing it up don’t get it in your eye’s, after it’s mixed up it’s completely safe.
Thanks Laura! I’m not familiar with that brand but I can certainly find a version of it here in Australia. Very much appreciate the tip lovely. I’m excited to try it out.
Diatomaceous earth is actually the crusts of long dead little organisms called diatomes. It is used in several of the same ways as boric acid, for washing, supplements, and insect killing, but is not a chemical compound. So, in terms of using it for making flubber, it might work but it’s more likely to just change the texture of the flubber.
Well means that I won’t be able to make this amazing flubber nut no offense because there many great recipes of yours like this one do I bet I will try one of them on day.
Thx for the reply.
Neha..
Ooo lucky I went to the market in search of borax and guess what…
I got it and now I am super excited to make this flubber.
Can’t even imagine
We’ll thx
Neha
How long can this be kept? How do you recommend it is stored?
Great question Judy. It can be stored in a zip tight bag (with the air removed). It’s hard to say how long it can be stored for but I wouldn’t really keep it for more than a week or so. Hope that helps.
please tell me where I can buy Elmers glue because I don’t have a glue how this glue looks
Hi Hantie. I purchased mine from the supermarket but you can also get it from craft stores. Google the name and you’ll be able to see some images so you know what you’re looking for.
hey whats borax
Google.com explains it better than me Alyssa but you can find it in your laundry section at the supermarket.
Can u make it any color
Absolutely Victoria. You can make it whatever colour you like. I’m tempted to make this again and change the colour. Thanks for the inspiration lovely. 🙂
I made this for the first time today with my special needs preschool class. They went crazy for it! Aside from the sand table, I am not sure they have played this much with anything this year. I loved it too! Many of them found it very fun to snip with scissors.
Oh Emily, thank you for letting me know of the great experience you and your preschool class had. It would be such great fun snipping it with scissors. Love that! 🙂
Hi, I’m in England and we don’t have borax over here, can you recommend an alternative?? Would love to make this with my kids
Not sure if this would help you Nina…
http://www.funathomewithkids.com/2013/07/borax-free-slime-dough.html
The ideas are really fantastic and is helpful
Thank you so kindly Lydia. Be sure to subscribe.
You can make this a lot easier elmers glue / generic of elmers glue the squeeze bottle of course and laundry detergent.. Empty two bottles of glue in bowl and at detergent little by little I don’t have the portion of how much detergent u actually need sorry. But as you mix it it will get clumpy if it’s still stringy like glue add more detergent stir and add little by little you will notice it forming tomorrow of a solid glob. U can start kneeding with your hands it will feel wet just dry your hands through the process. And kneed again. start to finish I would say it takes 10 mins until u have a good solid glob. Minimal clean up if don’t right..
Sounds wonderful and I love hearing of new ways of making such things! Thanks heaps Craig. I’ll give it a go.
Will boric acid work as well as borax?
Great question Rebecca because they are basically the same thing. I have never tried boric acid but it could possibly work. If you do try it, pop back and let me know. 🙂
Gonna try it and see cos we don’t have borax around here in India.
Please be sure to let me know how you go Rebecca. Thank you. 🙂
Did you know that if you make a ball out of flubber, you can make it bounce?
Whaaaaat! I’m seriously going to try that out Emilia. Thank you!!!!
Hi Kate,
Just a quifk, crazy question. I’m new to this arts and crafts stuff and I just might be asking a plain dumb question. What’s buried exactly? Like I said dumb question.
Bree
Hi Bree!
Oh my gosh, there is seriously no such thing as a dumb question to me. I’m super glad you asked. Were you asking about ‘buried’ like in your answer or Borax? Autocorrect can be cheeky. Because I can’t see where I’ve written the word buried in the post I’m going to assume you mean Borax. Fabulous question. Borax is actually a sodium powder that you can find in the laundry aisle. People might sometimes use this powder when washing their clothes as it can be a deodoriser. Obviously it isn’t edible but it’s quite affordable and get for projects like this Flubber one. Thanks Bree. Pop back and let me know if I’ve helped you out. Like I said, I am just assuming you’re talking about Borax. 🙂
Not sure what I did wrong but mine turned out like rubbery scrambled eggs and wouldn’t stretch, just quite brittle? Any thoughts? I followed the recipe with the the only substitute using generic kids pva art and craft glue.
Hi Erin. Thank you for contacting me. It does take a bit of kneading to get it to combine and get to the point it can stretch. Did you try to knead it? If the mixture was very dry then it must have needed most of the borax liquid to give it more moisture. It does start off a bit like rubbery scrambled eggs, but with a bit of work I find it comes together. I hope that’s helpful.
can I add less glue? will the result change?
Hi Lorra. I’m sorry, I think it would change the result. You could reduce the amount of borax mixture if you only have a small amount of glue available to you.
hi Kate if I divide the borax and the glue, do I divide the water too?
Yes lovely, I would divide the water as you have divided the other ingredients. Have fun! 🙂
thank you so much! by the way, the recipe sounds awesome.
It seriously is Kanja. 🙂
hi katy. I tried the recipe but it did not come out as what is shown in the pictures. instead, mine came out all liquidy and it stank. it did not have the rubbery texture either.
How strange Kiki! What brand of ingreidents did you use? Which country are you located? Sometimes ingredients differ between countries, but I might be able to get you an alternative so it works for you.
Hi kate these sounds like fun…I just have a question i know all slime recipes call for borax but is it safe for kids?
Hi Lulu.
This link might be of interest to you. It’s completely up to you what you decide from the information. 🙂
http://crunchybetty.com/getting-to-the-bottom-of-borax-is-it-safe-or-not/
What are the ingredients I can’t find it
That’s strange because they are right there in the contents. Scroll down Woody. You’ll see I’ve listed what you need and how to put it together to make the flubber.
If I use clear or clear green glue and neon green food coloring will I make flubber from the Robin Williams movie?
Okay on to my more serious question slime recipes also use borax and elmers glue what makes this different?
Hahaha love it Lindsay. Check out this recipe as it does have Borax like many others.
Where is the recipe??
Read the post Lillie and you will see that I’ve added step by step instructions. 🙂
Hope that helps.
Can I use PVC Glue instead of Elmer’s Glue?
Yes, I believe that works too! 😀