Title of Book

Title of Book: Mistakes that worked: 40 familiar inventions and how they came to be

Author: C.F. Jones

Publisher: Double Day, 1991

ISBN: 0-385-32043-4

Grade Levels for Recommended Use: 3rd – 5th

TEKS: 5.2 (A-F) Scientific investigation and reasoning. The student uses scientific methods during laboratory and outdoor investigations

Brief Summary: This book is a series of short stories explaining how some common everyday items came to be. Many of these items were discovered by chance because an experiment did not give the expected result. This book shows the reader that sometime even a mistake can be turned into something good.

Materials:

White school glue

Liquid laundry starch (one 32 oz bottle or smaller)

Borax

Measuring spoons of different sizes to share

Cups and stirrers

Food coloring (optional)

Data chart (included)

Activity

Students will listen to the history of Silly Putty and how it was accidentally discovered. Then they will conduct their own investigation by trying to come up with the right amount of ingredients by conducting some test with the ingredients to create their own Silly Putty.

Procedure:

1. Read the story about Silly Putty story, on pg 38-39 of the book, to your students.

2. Discuss! Ask your students if Silly Putty was a planned invention or if it happened accidentally. (In a sense it was both.)

3. Then ask the class if they think they could make a Silly Putty through their own testing. Sure they can! Just like Peter Hodgson, we have the basic ingredients needed and have played with this substance before, most likely. Now all we need to do is conduct some tests with the ingredients.

4. Experiment using the glue, starch and Borax. Students can work with partners or in small groups to create their own Silly Putty. Use the chart (included) to have students log their process and record the amounts of glue and starch used.

5.  Remind them that collecting data is an essential part of the scientific process. How else could you repeat your success?

6.  Have a class discussion about outcomes and let students share their results with the class.

Web source: http://www.chicagochildrensmuseum.org/Inventing_Activities.pdf

Adapted by Leslie Startz, 2010

Silly Putty Investigations: Creating Your Own Recipe

Name: ______Date: ______

On the chart below record your Silly Putty Recipe. Describe the results of each. Then, decide which batch turned out better.

Ingredients

/

Batch 1

/

Batch 2

/
white glue
liquid laundry starch
Borax
food coloring

Describe your results:

Batch 1:

______

______

Batch2:

______

My best batch was: ______