Slime, slime, and more slime

Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the library…

Like many things (Minecraft, anyone?) slime seemed at first to be a passing phase. But no, it just keeps coming back around. So here I am with my two fail safe slime recipes. The secret to slime success is in how you add the activator – A LITTLE AT A TIME. Please learn from my mistakes, and always add whatever activator you use sparingly, stir a lot, and then add more if needed.

The secret of how to get the teens to add activator sparingly, well, that took some time and trials. My go to method is to put out the plastic toy pipettes from the children’s science set, but you can also buy cheap plastic pipettes from many online retailers. If you put out a bowl of activator without an obvious way to pour it, no spoons, and plastic pipettes, they seem to get the idea.

No-Fail Sparkle Slime

So first, lets do no-fail sparkle slime! For this recipe you will need: clear glue, water, food coloring, glitter, and liquid starch.

Start by adding equal parts clear glue and water to a bowl (I usually limit the kids to half a cup of each, because the resulting slime will fit in a sandwich bag.) Stir these until they are completely combined, then add food coloring and glitter as desired, stir to combine. Then, slowly, with the pipettes, add one squirt of liquid starch at a time, stir, and evaluate. Continue to add liquid starch, one squirt at a time, stirring completely, until the mixture achieves the desired consistency. Take out of the bowl and play!

Foam Slime

Next up – foam slime! For this recipe you will need: regular school glue, shaving cream, food coloring, and borax solution.

First you need to create the borax solution. To do this, pour boiling water into a bowl, add borax one spoonful at a time, and stir to dissolve. Continue to add spoonfuls of borax until it will no longer absorb into the water. You will have some borax settled into the bottom of the bowl, but never fear! Leave the bowl to cool for a couple of hours, and the rest or the dregs should absorb into the water.

When it’s time to make the slime, add half a cup of glue and 2 cups of shaving cream to a bowl. Stir gently to incorporate the glue into the shaving cream without deflating the shaving cream. When the mixture is completely combined, add food coloring as desired and mix. This is where the regular glue comes into play. You can use clear glue, but the color won’t be as vibrant as with the regular school glue. Next, add the borax solution, one squirt at a time, stirring after every addition, until the slime reaches the desired consistency.

A word about desired consistency – this may be different for each individual. I’ve had some teens who prefer their slime to be drippy and gooey, and some who prefer theirs to be almost solid. In general, you are looking for an oozy but not sticky consistency that is easy to stretch and play with without it sticking to your hands. The more you make slime the more you will begin to recognize this in the bowl, but sometimes you just have to take it out and play with it to be sure.

Do you have a favorite slime recipe? Be sure to chime in in the comments.

Filed under: Makerspace, Teen Programming