Call it gak. Call it slime. Just don’t call it messy, because this amazing stuff is easier to clean up than playdough and offers as much tactile fun as the dreaded finger-painting. So if you have found yourself saying, “I am not THAT mom, the one who does craft projects,” this is one that might be worth changing your tune for.
On a recent sick day, Julian and I made slime, and then thought it was hilarious to pretend our slime was a spilled smoothie. We staged a photo with an overturned cup.
Don’t worry, folks, this stuff peels right up and can be rolled into a ball!
We followed a recipe for making slime shared by our preschool director.
What you need:
1- bowl
2- teaspoon
3- tall canister or cup
4- measuring cup
I’m pretty sure you have these things in your house. Now when I say you need
5- food coloring
6- Borax (a certain type of laundry powder)
7- 4 oz of white glue (the size of container in the picture)
I know it sounds like a pain because you may not have these things, however you can find them at Target. Pick them up next time you shop, and store them for a time when you feel a surge of “I’m willing to try an unfamiliar project” energy. Or, assign the whole activity to Grandma on her next visit.
Instructions:
Empty glue into canister. (Rest assured, it does wash out easily.)
Add an equal amount of water to glue, along with a few drops of food color, if you like, and stir.
Next dissolve a teaspoon of Borax in water. We used a cup, but it seems like half a cup would have been fine.
Now, add colored glue solution to bowl and mix. This is the grossest-looking step.
After the slime began to form, I encouraged Julian to put his hands in there and begin squishing it together. I figured if it was a failure at this point, he was at least getting some gooey pleasure out of it. I quickly realized we could just pour out the excess water and we now had ourselves a hunk of slime.
Fun things to do with slime:
- Put small plastic animals, chunky beads, or pennies inside (for kids who won’t swallow those things.)
- Roll it into a long snake and make letters
- Cut it with scissors
- Stab holes in it with a plastic fork (protect your table first!) and watch the holes melt away
Things not to do with slime:
- Drop it on carpet
- Eat it
- Get it on upholstery (not tragic, but inconvenient.)
- Leave it out. (Store your slime in a resealable bag in the fridge.)
This is fantastic! I have been looking for some fun projects to do with my boys. We’re going a little bonkers here with our currentl lack of scheduled activity.
Thanks for sharing!
Excellent project, Whitney! I’m making my summer to do list right now and this is going on the list!
Wendy, allow me to give you some Borax. As you can see, I have a huge ziploc full of it, and the project requires only a teaspoon.
I’d be thrilled to accept some Borax from you!
When I used to be in daycare we used liquid starch instead of borax. You can also blow giant bubbles with it. Just stick a straw into it, pinch with your fingers to make a seal and blow the slime into giant bubbles!!! So much Fun!
My kids will love this! Both making it and playing with it. Thanks for the great post.
I’m looking forward to trying this! And, the borax…yeah, I’ve been planning to make my own laundry detergent for about 6 months now…so buying a box of borax might put me one step closer
[...] 9. Because all kids seem to go bonkers over slime. [...]
[...] 9. Because all kids seem to go bonkers over slime. [...]
Borax is also great at making sure your baby’s laundry comes out sweet-smelling when you’re using the fragrance- and dye-free detergents that’re recommended for it! Does a great job of making sure my kiddo’s laundry smells fresh, instead of like slightly soured breastmilk!
Making slime is great fun! It can keep my kids occupied for hours. Perfect for those rainy days.
Loved it. Our church is having a Fall Festival and we have the nose booth. It is a giant nose that you have to put your hand up to get candy. One side is candy the other is snout. This slim is perfect. Thank you!
love it i like it and my 10 kids will love it
[...] I think this would be fun to send to a niece or nephew. I was hoping the photos I took of Julian making slime could be used as a How to Make Slime book. (See exactly how Catherine’s book came out on [...]
[...] got this idea to make slime from The Rookie Moms, which also happens to be one of my favorite parenting blogs. It was super easy to make and far [...]
how do you make all five colors of slime red’blue’green’yellow’orange.
@Suzanne, food coloring comes in every color, or you can make the secondary colors from the primaries.
[...] Homemade Slime Ahhh slime. There’s something about squishing that rubbery goo in between little fingers that makes our kids squeal with delight. Mixing the ingredients is the messiest part of this whole experiment, but the finished slime is actually cleaner than playdough (it doesn’t dry out as fast). Prolong the life of your goo by keeping it in a resealable plastic bag in the fridge. [...]