Eighth-grade Physical Science students participated in a STEM lab in which they created a cross-linked polymer (vinyl acetate). This was done by mixing a sodium borate solution with a solution of white glue. After the two solutions were mixed together, the students used a wooden craft stick to stir the solution, which resulted in the cross-linked polymer forming and adhering to the wooden stick. After rinsing the polymer in a beaker of water, the substance was removed from the stick. The students then squeezed and rolled the solutions into a ball while removing the excess water.  

Each group then dropped the polymer ball from a height of 50 cm to see how high it would bounce. After the students performed the experiment, they were given the assignment of designing a ball that could bounce higher than the one they made in the lab.  Students are working on their modified designs in class this week and will go back to the lab to test their new substances. Ultimately, they learned how science affected the ability to ‘make it bounce’.