Elmer's glue is a copolymer polyvinylalcohol, PVA, which is a plastic made from oil. Borax is a natural mineral mined from the earth made of boron, sodium, oxygen, and water. When you add water to Elmer's glue, the PVA(being unstable) starts to dissolve in the water. When you add the wet Borax(which is slightly acidic), it reacts with the PVA to form a crosslink. This crosslinking causes the guk to undergo an irreversible gelation reaction much like when an egg boils to become a hard boiled egg.
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