Make Floam!

Floam is a fun, maleable material you can play with and make at home. Isn't science awesome? Discover more awesome science projects: ******

Hi, my name is Ben Roy with gosciencezone.com for About.com. Today, we're going to show you how to make your own floam. Materials to Make Floam You will need: * borax * white glue * food coloring * Styrofoam or polystyrene beads * reusable plastic bag * water How to Make Floam First, you want to dilute the borax in water. The amount may change depending on how much floam you want, but you can go by 1/2 cup of water for every 2 teaspoons of borax. Next, in a separate container, you want to dilute your glue, with equal parts of glue and water. It's safe to go by 1/4 a cup for every 2 teaspoons of borax. Here, add in your food coloring. Transfer the glue solution to a plastic bag, and add your beads or Styrofoam. Next add in your borax solution. The amount you add will determine the stiffness of the floam. Upon mixing borax and glue, a flexible polymer is formed because of the borax reacting to the polyvinyl acetate molecules in the glue. This is a fun concoction you can mold into whatever shape you want. Thanks for watching! To learn more, visit us on the web at About.com!