[funky upbeat music] [singer] We can, we can, we can We can, we can, we can We can, we can, we can Mini Fab Science Lab We can ask big questions We can figure it out Let’s investigate in the Mini Fab Science Lab [Cathal] Ava, Ava!

[Ava] Cathal, why are you out of breath?

I ran over here to show you this.

[Ava] Wow, a bouncy ball.

It’s so glittery.

It’s my sister’s, and I’m pretty sure it’s the bounciest bouncy ball.

The bounciest bouncy ball?

I got to see this.

3, 2, 1.

[boing, boing, boing] -[glass breaking] -[Ava and Cathal] Oh, no!

My sister’s bounciest bouncy ball.

Let’s run outside to see if we can find it.

[] I’m so sorry we couldn’t find the ball, Cathal.

We looked everywhere.

That was my sister’s favorite bouncy ball.

It was so bouncy, it could have bounced anywhere.

Wait, Ava, you know how to make all sorts of things.

Do you think we can make a new bouncy ball?

Hmm.

That’s a big question.

I like asking big questions.

So let’s investigate.

Let’s go to [pensive music] The Mini Fab Science Lab.

Wowza!

Now this is exciting.

Science is always exciting.

The first thing we have to do is gather up all the materials.

Now, let’s see.

We need a bowl and a mixer, glue, eye solution, Baking soda, food coloring, and water.

Oh, and glitter.

Don’t forget the glitter.

[Ava] Got it.

Looks like that’s everything then.

OK, what do we need to do first?

Well, the first step is to mix the glue with the baking soda and food coloring.

Can you mix it for me, Cathal?

Got it.

Now we’re going to mix the eye solution and the glitter.

[Cathal] Whoa, it’s slime.

We made slime.

I love slime because it’s so stretchy and squishy.

[Ava] Me too.

But if we want to make it a bouncy ball, we have to add a few more things to the slime.

OK, what do we have to add?

[Ava] Just a little bit more glitter, more eye solution, and baking soda.

[Ava] It looks great.

So then take a bit of the mixture and roll it into a ball.

[soft music] Oh, it looks just like a bouncy ball.

But does it bounce like a bouncy ball?

[boing, boing, boing] It worked.

It bounces.

How did you know that you could turn slime into a bouncy ball?

I love making slime so much that I learned all about polymers.

A polymer can be slime and a bouncy ball.

Whoa, what else can you make with polymers?

That’s a big question.

We can ask big questions.

We can figure them out.

And I know just the expert we can talk to.

A bouncy ball expert?

No, a polymer expert.

He’s a biomedical scientist, and he knows all about polymers.

Whoa!

Mom, can I call Professor Eric at NCCU?

We have a big question.

[Mom] Sure thing.

But tell him I said hello.

We will.

Please call Professor Eric at NCCU.

[soft keyboard music] Hi, Professor Eric.

My mom says hi, too.

Hi, Ava.

Tell your mom I said "hi."

Who’s the young scientist you have with you today?

My name’s Cathal.

It’s nice to meet you.

Nice to meet you, Cathal.

What do you guys have for me?

Well, we have a big question.

We know that slime and bouncy balls are made out of polymers.

So we were wondering What else can you make with polymers?

Wow, great question.

Polymers make up everything.

They make up the clothes that we wear.

They make up the toys you play with.

They make up our bodies.

They’re even found in medicines.

Polymers are very versatile substances.

Let me show you.

[upbeat music] This is a polymer that we made today.

Oh, it looks like slime.

[Eric] Yes, and like slime, it’s a polymer that is soft and slimy when you touch it.

But if I raise the temperature on it, this polymer becomes this polymer that is now a liquid that is wet and sticky.

Polymers are very special substances.

Why are polymers special?

Like when you made slime at home, you had glue, eye solution, and water, and joined them together to make a new molecule.

And as you mixed, you made more and more of those molecules.

That’s literally what polymer means.

"Poly" means "many."

"Mer" means "parts."

And together, you have many parts that are joined together to form these long chains.

And these long chains are what gives polymers their complexity and their strength, where they don’t break, but they’re able to twist, stretch, and bounce.

Just like the bouncy balls we made.

So yes, just like the bouncy balls that can go all over the place, polymers are all over the place, even on your feet.

There are polymers on my feet?

Yes, there are polymers on your feet.

There are special polymers in the soles of your shoes.

Does that mean my sneakers can be as bouncy as my bouncy ball?

Think about how high I can jump.

Yes, now there are some athletic shoes that have polymers that give you the ability to bounce.

But just think, if all of our shoes had soles like bouncy balls, we would just be bouncing all over the place.

Thanks, Professor Eric.

You helped us answer our big question.

Yeah, thank you.

Glad I could help, kids.

Now it’s time for me to bounce.

[Ava and Cathal] Bye!

I never knew there was science in my toys and my shoes.

Science is everywhere.

Let’s go and tell my mom what we learned.

[pensive music] Mom, Professor Eric said hi, and guess what?

[Mom] What’s that, sweetie?

He taught us all about polymers and how they use them to make shoes and medicine and [excited] And super ultra bouncy balls.

[Mom] Oh, that’s great, kids.

That reminds me.

I found something in my garden.

I left it on the counter for you.

[Cathal gasps] My sister’s bounciest bouncy ball.

Your mom found it for me.

I like my sister’s bounciest bouncy ball, but I think this is the best bouncy ball ever.

What makes it the best bouncy ball ever?

Because I made it with you.

And we made it with science.

-[boing, boing, boing] -[upeat music] [upbeat music] Mini Fab Science Lab is a production of PBS North Carolina in partnership with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Division of Child Development and Early Education.

[upbeat music]