Saturday, January 21, 2006

Here How to make a shiny ball out of mud

I might try this at our Mud Volleyball Tournament this summer.

Mud ball At elementary schools, kindergartens, and preschools all across Japan, kids are losing themselves making hikaru dorodango, or balls of mud that shine. Behind this boom is Professor Fumio Kayo of the Kyoto University of Education. Kayo is a psychologist who researches children's play, and he first came across these glistening dorodango at a nursery school in Kyoto two years ago. He was impressed and devised a method of making dorodango that could be followed even by children. Once Kayo teaches children how to make these mud balls, they become absorbed in forming a sphere, and they put all their energy into polishing the ball until it sparkles. The dorodango soon becomes the child's greatest treasure. Kayo sees in this phenomenon the essence of children's play, and he has written academic papers on the subject. The mud balls could also offer fresh insights into how play aids children's growth.

How to Make Shiny Dorodango

  • Pack some mud into your hand, and squeeze out the water while forming a sphere.
  • Add some dry dirt to the outside and continue to gently shape the mud into a sphere.
  • When the mass dries, pack it solid with your hands, and rub the surface until a smooth film begins to appear.
  • Rub your hands against the ground, patting and rubbing the fine, powdery dirt onto the sphere. Continue this for two hours.
  • Seal the ball in a plastic bag for three or four hours. Upon removing the sphere, repeat step 4, and then once again seal the sphere in a plastic bag.
  • Remove the ball from the bag, and if it is no longer wet, polish it with a cloth until it shines.
  • UPDATE:   WOW, This post has gotten my site more hits than anything before.  5,600 hits today.  I think it was all started by a link from digg.com  Thanks!

    Here is a link to more info on how to makes a shiny ball of mud with lots of detail and pics.   Looks pretty complicated to me. 

    More info

    via

    95 comments:

    Anonymous said...

    You have seriously got to be fucking kidding me...MUD????? Man this is really disappointing for the human species.

    Anonymous said...

    So long civilization, we can make mud balls, why do we need you?

    Anonymous said...

    It's shiny mud, don't complain.

    Anonymous said...

    MUD? Yes mud.... used for centuries from making pottery to building houses. Get you lazy butt off the computer and go outside and maybe you will learn there is more to life than you realize.

    Anonymous said...

    "You have seriously got to be fucking kidding me...MUD????? Man this is really disappointing for the human species."

    Yes the foggot king is right! this is very dissappointing for the human species. Those MUD needs to be turn to gold so it can be usefull! LoL...

    Hey fucktard! do you live in a metal place above ground? how can MUD be disappointing?? i bet your shelter is standing on top of it. YES! thats right! your house is build on top of those mud and the one that build your house, probably played with those shiny ball! asshole!!

    Anonymous said...

    thankfully my house is built on rock

    Anonymous said...

    Wow, I can't believe your reactions to this. While your impeccable grammar indicates your expansive intelligence... no wait, it doesn't.

    Children play with clay in elementary schools all across USA and then have it put on shelves for years by proud parents, and clay is just a type of mud really. I say that getting kids to focus on creating something that requires patience and focus rather than instant pleasure and an overdeveloped case of A.D.D. has to be a good thing.

    . said...

    This is why japan is so more advanced than us

    Anonymous said...

    I bet you'll see these on ebay soon!

    gasparutto said...

    children have more time on their hands than I

    Dr. Latin Jones said...

    Dissapointing for the human species?

    I think it's very cool. I've never seen a shiny ball of mud before and if the ground here stays thawed out this week I'll hopefully have one on my desk soon.

    Anonymous said...

    HAHAHAAH MUD IS AWESOME. I would marry mud if mud were a hot girl.

    Anonymous said...

    Not only have I seen a shiny mud ball today, but I have seen a flame war over it!
    Two things I can honestly say I don't think I'll ever see again.

    Anonymous said...

    I am going to sell a shiny mud ball making kit and make lots of money

    Anonymous said...

    thank you japan ^^

    Anonymous said...

    Does anyone else notice the creepy face reflected in that mud ball?
    And hey playing with mud isn't all that bad I mean its way better then eating it or something.

    Anonymous said...

    I can think of other things to get upset about...

    Anonymous said...

    http://www.boingboing.net/2002/06/04/shiny_balls_of_mud_t.html

    Anonymous said...

    HOLY CHRIST. PEOPLE ARE ARGUING ABOUT HOW STUPID MUD IS.

    I think my IQ dropped by about 20 points by reading these comments. THANKS GUYS. *thumbsup*

    Anonymous said...

    Ahhh, I see the best examples of webusers have been here already splashing their huge vocabularies around. Some people just shouldn't breed.

    Anyway, what a cool topic. Shiny mud is just, spookily cool. I can just imagine large amounts of dirt in Japanese playgrounds going missing, taken home with the kids. Maybe then they get a little more for their childcare money ?? :)

    Anonymous said...

    WOW, that mud ball looks like delicious chocolate. i wonder how it tastes.

    Anonymous said...

    WOW, that mud ball looks like delicious chocolate. i wonder how it tastes.

    Anonymous said...

    Hey, you guys just settle down! Mud is an artifact. We love it like our own baby.

    Anonymous said...

    We should import these from japan.

    Anonymous said...

    Don’t touch that, you fool of a Took!

    BLEU 12 said...

    I bet they can shoot them out of guns if they are hard enough. Thats not good!!!

    Anonymous said...

    I'd like to rip of the heads and shit down the necks of any asshole who makes fun of this.

    Ill rape your mom and sister, with the penis I've cut from your pet dog, which I'll kill.

    Then I will disembowl them with a vacuum cleaner and common kitchen utensils before soaking their remains in a fish tank, while pissing on it.

    And thats just the start. I'll then hunt down everyone they've ever known, slice them open and sew their tits to each other, while shitting in the middle.

    You dont even want to know what I'll do after that.

    Just say "shiny mud balls are cool" and I'll forgive.

    Anonymous said...

    I wonder if you could easily make other shiny objects out of this. Take for example an entire chess set. That would be pretty sweet, especially as a project for preschool or something. Think I might try this simply for simplicity.

    Anonymous said...

    "I wonder if you could easily make other shiny objects out of this." you guys are full of great ideas! we can build bowling balls now, mud houses that are shiny, mud cars that are shiny. YES!!!@!

    Anonymous said...

    I think this is "cracker jack" I like the fact that these shiny mud balls are so decorative... and since small children can make them, I bet they would be cheap.... although I don't think small children should be used to make them... child labor is wrong!

    Anonymous said...

    Dnd dice!!!! I wonder how much damage these can take.

    Anonymous said...

    that is just awesome.

    Anonymous said...

    I like me shiney balls of scheitt more better! It doesnt take so long to make em when I eat me shepards pie.

    Anonymous said...

    The comments are the best part of this page. totally cracked me up so hard my kidneys failed. funnies to the core!

    Anonymous said...

    I am going to make one

    Anonymous said...

    Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius - and a lot of courage - to move in the opposite direction. ~E.F. Schumacker

    Anonymous said...

    That is cool, I am going to make one

    Murty BVNS said...

    Good idea. Now I am thinking whether my daughter could make one on her own !!!

    Anonymous said...

    I stumbled across a site with video instructions, it's actually kindof cool that they showed what they look like if they are cracked. http://www.kyokyo-u.ac.jp/youkyou/4/english4.htm

    Anonymous said...

    shiny... soo pretty...

    (dazed look in eyes)

    Nick said...

    That's the coolest goddamn thing I have ever seen.

    Anonymous said...

    I like it.

    Anonymous said...

    Where I live in Kansas, mud is practically the same thing as clay. The dirt is horrible for growing a garden, but you could definately make these things. You could even put them in a kiln and make marbles. Neat. Why all the cussing and screaming over an article about kids activities? I'm not horribly fond of kids, but if they want to play in the mud at least they are out from underfoot. I may even make some... I could shoot them with a slingshot to scare birds out of my sorry looking garden next year.

    Anonymous said...

    In the 21st century, mud was replaced with MMORPGs. I'm afraid that my nice new MMORPG is much shinier than a polished mud any day of the week...

    Anonymous said...

    wow... that is freakin amazing... i love it... i am going to make one the next time it rains and i find a pile of dirt! crap... i hope it rains soon.

    stuff like this makes me happy

    Anonymous said...

    The shinnyness of my mud ball is sullied by the taint of human stupidity.

    Anonymous said...

    "I'd like to rip of the heads and shit down the necks of any asshole who makes fun of this.

    Ill rape your mom and sister, with the penis I've cut from your pet dog, which I'll kill.

    Then I will disembowl them with a vacuum cleaner and common kitchen utensils before soaking their remains in a fish tank, while pissing on it.

    And thats just the start. I'll then hunt down everyone they've ever known, slice them open and sew their tits to each other, while shitting in the middle.

    You dont even want to know what I'll do after that.

    Just say "shiny mud balls are cool" and I'll forgive."

    I'm with this guy. Seriously, this mud rules you fat ass pasty basment dweller.

    Anonymous said...

    OOOH, I want to make a giant shiny mud penis... then rape myself in the mirror...

    Anonymous said...

    fuck yeah, I wanna make some mud benwah balls and stick em in my woman, then bang the hell out of her. Then I could get mud outa both holes.

    Anonymous said...

    "how can MUD be disappointing?? i bet your shelter is standing on top of it."
    Houses are built on poured concrete foundations.

    This is very tempting to make!

    Anonymous said...

    I think we all have to look at this from a kids point of view. I would of enjoyed doing this in elementary school. It beats doing math or reading as a child. I think most of you are missing the point, its not going to cure cancer but for a child its fun and educational.

    Anonymous said...

    I work at a poo treatment facility, maybe I should try making a dorodungo...

    Anonymous said...

    "As far as I am concerned, If we can't marry shiny mud balls then the terrorists have won."

    I love you Ward.

    Anonymous said...

    They're so cute! You just want to hug them and squeeze 'em!

    I wonder what other interesting activities they have for kids in Japan besides that. I never would have thought something like that would be possible in a million years. Do those balls stay shiny and hard?

    Anonymous said...

    Shiny mud balls are what a Jedi would make to find peace...

    See not the thing made of mud. See the thing made of mind.z

    Anonymous said...

    Someone diggs this page and all of us come to it and then a flame warm erupts?

    ...now that is what I call devolving.

    Just enjoy the story.

    Anonymous said...

    what if we shoot it with a gun

    Anonymous said...

    all your mud balls are belong to us

    Anonymous said...

    People are a$$holes Yes it's mud... quit knockin it... Unless you can come up with something constructive (yes, like mudballs) other than new methods for more quickly obtaining porn then keep it shut.... no people care what you have to say, otherwise we would be clicking on the link titled "ranting dumba$$) and not "mudballs".

    Anonymous said...

    I am going to do this with my poop.

    www.fstopforums.com

    Anonymous said...

    thats pretty nifty

    Anonymous said...

    It was from this digg link:
    http://digg.com/links/How_to_make_a_shiny_ball_out_of_mud

    Dossy Shiobara said...

    Remember the Tamagotchi?

    In a few years, kids in America will be clamoring for Shiny Balls of Mud for Christmas. Parents: start shining some mud-balls now.

    Anonymous said...

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    Anonymous said...

    This Is Awesome...
    Imagine The Possibilities, Mud Tables, Mud Lawn Chairs...

    Anonymous said...

    This would be really interesting, you could put something on the inside of the ball and give it as a gift, then give them the choice of breaking it to get to the gift or keeping it as is, hell, it could also work for hiding a spare key outside your door. "Oh crap I forgot my key." Then you break the mud ball open.

    Anonymous said...

    LUEshi to the rescue!

    Anonymous said...

    haha! you crazy japs

    Anonymous said...

    ROFL jackasses that not retarded or stupid dont see you people findng these things out
    Im sure youd prob say who would want to but point being you couldnt and obviously cannot

    BTW the japs are far more advanced and are a peaceful culture thats the way they live and thats how they grow Called Intellgence ganed from past experience they experience alot have tons of intellect thus far most americans do not nuf said go eat some cake

    Anonymous said...

    ok sorry guys...this is getting way out of hand...i suggest the manufacture of "shinny mud balls" be outsourced...

    Send in ur tenders to shinnymudballs@outsource.com

    prefered locations: China, India, Taiwan

    Dude this could be the next thing in outsourcing...

    Future parents dont u worry...

    Anonymous said...

    In oaxaca they make black clay pottery following the same method.

    Anonymous said...

    "I work at a poo treatment facility, maybe I should try making a dorodungo..."

    Wouldn't that be a doo-doorodungo?

    Anonymous said...

    "you just can't trust the Japanese....." somebody had to say it!

    Anonymous said...

    He who writes on these shitty walls, rolls their shit into shiny balls.
    He who reads these words of wit, eats the balls of shiny shit.

    Anonymous said...

    of all the random shit on the internet... Ironically this morning in my geotechnical engineering class we were going over ways of determining soil types by their ability to shine more when wet meaning higher permiability in the soil sample... So to those saying your IQ are going down, I'm a 4th year student at the university of california San Diego, get your degree in mud ball making today and build a better tomorrow :)

    Anonymous said...

    "Rub your hands against the ground, patting and rubbing the fine, powdery dirt onto the sphere. Continue this for two hours."

    However neat an idea this is, I´d never spend two hours on a ball of mud. My time is much better spent on the net, flaming people who don´t deserve it....:P

    Anonymous said...

    Looks like a bowling ball w/o the holes!

    Anonymous said...

    If I rub my bawls for two hours will they get shiny too?

    Anonymous said...

    Ooh, shiny. They'd fall apart if you tried to fire them out of a gun or cannon, however.

    Anonymous said...

    What a cool ball :)

    Anonymous said...

    It's hard to imagine any children I know spending 2+ hours at a pop working to make one of these.

    Anonymous said...

    Disappointing? As if. Are you saying it's better to blow big money on toys, which are basically made of plastic and metal and paint which are all from minerals that come from the ground, just like you and me?

    EVERYTHING IS FROM MUD, AND TO MUD IT SHALL ALL RETURN. YOU STUPID CLOSED-MINDED PEOPLE.

    And personally, I think it's pretty awesome.

    Anonymous said...

    Awesome shinny mud ball. How cool is that?? Who'd have ever known. You learn something every day. Hey? I was once told my name was mud.

    Anonymous said...

    Maybe your sister could make a mud "dildo", shine it and then use it!

    Anonymous said...

    They could call it "mud-fucking"!

    Anonymous said...

    that face is creepy it gives me the chills uuuuugh

    Anonymous said...

    i c that face and its creepy

    Anonymous said...

    that face is fugly

    Anonymous said...

    that face is creepy uuuugh it gives me the chills it is FUUUUUUGLY!

    Anonymous said...

    theres a vid on youtube on how to make em

    Anonymous said...

    yummy i love mud it keeps me warm at night , and its a very tasty food trust me im not playing daugs and nikkaz

    Anonymous said...

    anyone of you mother fuckin cocksuckers that think this isnt cool will die tromorrow of boredom because this is seriously the coolest god damned thing ive ever fucking tried

    Anonymous said...

    ya know normally I'm not into Japanese things but I (and most people in the world) have to admit that this is really cool and I will very likely try this when the weather warms up

    inchirieri apartamente cluj said...

    Does it really work? And I have to agree with anonymous… I don't see a 5 year old doing this over and over again for 2 hours…

    news games said...

    I find this a very interesting ideea and I don't see what is the "problem that it is made from mud" !??!