By Jessica Domel

We’ve hit the dog days of summer, but that doesn’t mean the rest of your kids’ break has to be ho-hum.

In fact, with some every day kitchen items, it can be tons of fun!

To make corn putty, you’ll need:
1 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon water
Food coloring (optional)
Plastic container

Pour the cornstarch in your plastic container. I used a plastic shoe box I bought at a discount store.

Then, slowly mix in the water with a fork.

Squeeze three to four drops of food coloring into the box and mix until you get the color you prefer.

Warning: Too much food coloring may result in dyed hands, clothing and towels.

Wearing an old shirt or apron is highly recommended.

After you’ve mixed everything well, tip the container. The putty should flow.

When the container is flat, it should feel firm.

If it’s too watery, slowly add more cornstarch and mix.

If it’s too dry, add small amounts of water.

When you’ve hit the right consistency, the fun begins!

It slides through your fingers like a liquid and firms on the counter like a solid.

Cornstarch putty slides through your fingers like a liquid and firms on the counter like a solid.

Try to make a ball out of the putty. See if you can drive a toy car over it. Or let a rubber duck take a “swim.” We did!

If you’re daring, let the kids mix and match small amounts of food coloring to see what fun shades you can make.

Add glitter. Look up “non-Newtonian fluid” to learn why the putty feels like a liquid and a solid.

Discover how cornstarch is made from the corn growing in fields across the Lone Star State.

You see, farmers don’t just grow the foods we eat. Their crops are used for many purposes. For example, corn products are used in sweeteners, crayons, pancakes, plastic products, cereal, cosmetics, desserts, chewing gum and more! And, of course, they grow the corn for our cornstarch activity. 

There’s plenty of fun to be had. Enjoy!