Make some Gak

By Deborah Pace Rowley

There is something about mixing up some Gak that brings out the giggles in everyone.

This chemical reaction is always a favorite of my students and the summer campers were crazy about it too.
All you need is a bottle of Elmer's Glue, some water, and some Borax. Borax is a powder that can be found in the laundry section of most grocery stores. I found mine at Walmart.

Here are the instructions:
1. Empty the entire 8 oz. bottle of glue into a mixing bowl. Fill the empty glue bottle with water and add the water to the bowl. Use a spoon to mix well. Add a drop or two of food coloring. We found some neon food coloring at the store which created some really cool colors for this last batch of Gak.
2. Measure 1/2 cup of warm water into a separate container and add a teaspoon of Borax powder. Stir the solution. Don't worry if all the powder dissolves.
3. While stirring the glue in the mixing bowl, add a little bit of the Borax Solution. Abandon the spoon and start using your hands to do some serious mixing. Keep adding the Borax solution to the glue mixture until you get the perfect consistency of your Gak. It can be either slimy or more dry. We prefer ours when it isn't too sticky but still stretches.

See the fun photos below.