by Darlene Michaud

Created on: October 11, 2010

This is a craft recipe for a homemade version of silly putty. You can even store this silly putty in a plastic egg just like the silly putty you buy in the store! This makes a great gift or party favor to give to kids, especially for an Easter party. But, this silly putty is fun all year round. This recipe makes about 3 tablespoons of silly putty. If you want more you can double or triple the recipe.

Gather the following ingredients to make homemade silly putty:

• 1 tablespoon of liquid starch (look in the laundry aisle)

• 2 tablespoons of white glue like Elmer's glue

• Food coloring (optional)

Put the liquid starch in a small bowl. Add the white glue to the liquid starch and stir until mixed. You can stir with a toothpick if you like. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes. Add a drop or two of food coloring if you like and mix well until the color is well blended. Mix the putty a bit more. The more you mix it, the better it gets.

Remove the putty from the bowl and use the just as you would use silly putty. Stretch it, bounce it, pick up pictures from a newspaper, or just mold it into shapes. Store the silly putty in a plastic egg or in any other small container. The putty will actually be better to play with the next day. If it dries out, you can dip it into warm water and knead it until it is soft again. It will last several days.

Tip: If you are tinting the silly putty with food coloring, you can let the kids wear plastic gloves so their hands do not get stained. If you don't have plastic gloves, they can stick their hands in sandwich bags for protection. Alternately, they can put the silly putty in a bag and knead it that way.

This silly putty is very cheap and easy to make, so it's a fun craft for any rainy day. Any time the kids are bored, let them make silly putty! And try lifting images from newspaper with this silly putty. It works just like the real thing! And when the silly putty get dirty, just make a new batch.

You can try adding fun stuff to the silly putty for special effects or texture. You can add glitter for sparkle, or craft sand or rice for texture. Just experiment and have fun with your homemade silly putty!

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