Ooze at it’s finest
We’ve recently just discovered one of our new favourite sensory “toys”, and we just can’t get enough of it. And by we, I mostly mean, Parker-Grace and…ermm *cough*…myself. [UPDATE: Morgan-Lee has become a Slime convert since I wrote this and can’t enough of the stuff either.] If you follow me on Instagram you would’ve seen our recent science experiments gone right, and it was a good one: SLIME!
And what’s cool about it is that you wouldn’t believe just HOW easy it actually is to make your own!
Seriously, who doesn’t love slime?! (My hubby excluded). Its stretchy, squishy, bouncy, pliable and then suddenly a puddle, and all together just super fun. Dare I say it, even theraputic! (You can totally get lost in it.)
You dont understand HOW happy I am that she likes it. She really,really,really likes it!
Now you can make it TODAY if wanted to, right in your own home, with only TWO main ingredients and some water!
That’s right just two ingredients, and in less than 5 minutes you’ll have super awesome slime!!! Huh? Yeah! I mean, how many wins can we rack up right here:
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• Easy to make ( you had me at
• Cool science lesson (although mine are too young to get it, but they did like the mixing and messing. I however, am secretly wishing I was Bill Nye.)
• Little bit of Math (all the measuring)
• Some messy play (all that mixing and squishing)
• Sensory play (once your slime is mixed and made, your kiddums will have loads of fun stretching it, making it into balls, squishing it, bouncing it, burying their hands into it and watching it slowly ooze into a puddle)
So let’s get started, what you’ll need:
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• 1 or more cute little helpy-helpantins (my two have made slime several times now and know the drill already.)
My two Helpy-helpatins
• 1 teaspoon Borax (which is a laundry detergent that has borate ion), carefully mixed into 250ml water
• 1 tube PVA-based glue (use any amount, but I’d recommend at least 50ml.) I prefer transparent school or office glue, however wood or ponal glue work great too.
My personal Glue Show lady: the three pack you find at the Crazy is perrrfect for this science activity
• Water – (use the exact same amount water here as that of glue)
Laudry detergent,glue and food colourant if you want.
Method:
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1. Squeeze out your glue into a bowl.
She’s the glue squeezy lady.
2. Add the exact same amount of water as there is glue. (It’s a 1:1 measurement here.) Mix well.
3. Add food colouring. Our girls are still liking the green, but your’s can be whatever colour you want. I normally use only a few drops depending on how deep I want the colour to be.
My main mixer
4. Now add your borax solution to your glue mixture: You will only need half the amount of borax solution as you used for the glue. (As in, if you used 50 ml glue, you’ll only need 25ml borax solution.)
5. Slowly mix well. The moment the borax solution enters the glue, you’ll immediately notice how the glue starts
to clump up/solidify somewhat. Keep mixing to ensure the glue absorbs all the borax solution you poured in.
Olaf moonlighting in the lab this particular day…his labour came cheap: a few warm hugs, and that was it.
6. At this point, its best to work it in with your hands. Play and knead it at least for three minutes.
Lab assistant Pax QA’ing sticky-levels
It should be cool to the touch, easy to stretch, form an easy blob, and generally not stick to your hands.(There may be some stickiness at first, but keep playing/kneading it, and it should work itself out.) The more you play with it, the better it gets.
Tips:
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– Be sure to mix well and knead it for at least three minutes, before thinking you need to add more borax solution.
– Normal food colouring works well, however, with wood or ponal glue, you’ll need to use alot more colour, as the colours tend to come out more pastel.
– This slime can keep really well for a few weeks if kept in an airtight container like a ziplock bag.
– If it does get onto clothes and god-forbid, your couches, I can happily report that vinegar does indeed remove it completely. So you can breathe easy, mama. 😉
Its best to play with it on a kitchen/craft/glass table or generally surfaces that are not absorbent like carpets, beds,sand, etc.
You should basically end up with a blob. A gross little blob – which is exactly what you’re aiming for here. Not exactly your typical goal in the kitchen, but today it is! 🙂
Ideas for playing with it:
You can stretch it over your hands…
You can see how far it will stretch…
Streeeeeeetch! ps. stretch factor even funner if you make a large batch!
How far will it go…
You can squish it…
Squish
You can pour it…
Pouuuuuuuur…
You can make it into a ball..
Such a slime ball
then watch it ooze…
oooooozzzze
You can poke it…
poke, poke, poke
You can roll it into a ball and bounce it…
You can slap it…(while making silly faces… in fact, silly faces are a must according to Morgan-Lee)…
And if you make a real big batch, like a 250ml glue batch of it, you can nicely bury your hands and arms in them- ask Parker-Grace (unfortch not pictured)
You can do so much with it…but, whatever you do, do not eat it. Ensure that your kiddums understand that there is no tasting allowed in this activity. And if you think your kiddy is not quite yet at that stage to adhere to the no tasting rule, I’d recommend that maybe it’s best you stick to the edible version or play dough, just for now. By the way, this really is kid-dependant – both my kids, two and four years old, know they don’t taste slime, but the two year old happily tucks into our home-made playdough.(even though she regrets it…every.single.time. #salty)
Have fun with your slime! It really is a fun activity…even for those ones who at first aren’t sure about the new texture…eventually, they do come around! X
Also please note, all my activities I do with my children are done under my supervision. Therefore, it should be noted that the kiddy activities I share here are intended to have adult supervision. It also important to note that all activities I share on this here blog of mine are activities that I deem safe for my children. As the parent/guardian of your own child you will need to decide what you deem as safe for your children. (This applies to all things used in crafts and experiments, for eg. scissors, food ingredients (allergies), small items (choking hazards), etc.)
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This looks so cool. So can you use any laundry detergent?
Thanks, Heather! Unfortunately, it has to be Borax or at least any detergent that has a borate ion. I’m trying to find a more widely available one for my South African readers and actually have a science boff buddy helping me with it. Watch this space for more info. 😉
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I tried this recipe today and it turned out into a big mess. Two batches turned out closer to solids that slime and the more we kneaded the more it broke into pieces. Is there a specific Ponal glue to use?
I tried this recipe today and it turned out into a big mess. Two batches turned out closer to solids than slime and the more we kneaded the more it broke into pieces. Is there a specific Ponal glue to use?
Oh dear! Sorry to hear it didn’t go to plan. I think I can help. So don’t worry too much about the glue. (Although I do prefer wood glue or clear school grade glue -from Penguin or even The Crazy store if you’re South African) It sounds like your proportions may be slightly out. The fact that its more solid, sounds like too much borax solution used. (And trust me, from at least 8 personal failed tries,I’ve learnt how sensitive the mixture is to how much borax solution I use). Remember the proportions if water to glue is 1:1 and proportions of glue to borax solution is 1: 1/2. Also,what I found recently helps is to add the borax solution very slowly,mix it in well before adding the next little bit. Try to keep it on the stickier side of things at first,just to be safe. Then as you play with it, add a few drops at a time and work with it for at least 3 minutes. Don’t rush this part. Also,what I did right at the beginning so as to not waste glue while figuring it all out, I used a small amount to experiment with until I got the measurements just right. Let me know how that goes- I’ll gladly help you out with it anytime.
Lastly,forgot to add that even though the proportions are 1: 1/2 for glue:borax solution, sometimes you don’t need to use that whole 1/2- depending on multiple factors. For eg. If the glue is 200ml then you would only need 100ml,but if you mix your slime and after mixing in only 85 ml of borax solution you find your slime is perfect already,no need to add more borax.
Can anyone help with product names for the borax and where does one buy it? Im in South Africa
Hi there Connie. Dont worry, I feel you. I am just as frustrated with the limited products we have here in SA. Borax is so easily available in the US in any of the stores, but not easily found here. So I order mine in from a lady here in KZN. Drop me an email at milkmemoirs@gmail.com and I can put you in contact with her. X
Hi there:)
So I tried this recipe today and it completely failed! The slime turned into a big lump and the more I played with it the harder it got:(. I really have no idea what I am doing wrong!! I hope you can help me🙃
Hi there Hakeem. No worries. It took me a few tries as well. Sounds like you used too much borax solution. Rather have it a little stickier at first than have it go all rubbery one time. So next time,try adding the borax very very little,bit by bit. (Like teaspoon by teaspoon)Then play with it for a few minutes first to see if it gets better before you even think of adding more teaspoons of borax.
Let me know how that goes.x
Hi All, im also very new at making slime and every attempt i have made has failed. Ive tried the toothpaste method i vetried the shampoo method etc LOL and nothing!!! The last saturday my daughter tried again, but this time i added borax. I purchased a small box of Borax from the medi pharm pharmacy at the checkers bluff centre on the bluff. OH we got the slime 70% correct but then ran out of glue to try again…
Will try this method and will definately let you all know how it goies.
Regards
Bev
Ah! Awesome news! Thats great. Yes, I’ve learnt my lesson and just bought a giant size glue bottle (the Penguin brand) at our local PnA. That way we always have slime on hand! 😉 Thanks for sharing! SO glad youre enjoying it!
Use contact lense solution instead of borax powder…check the bottle to se if it contains boric acid
Thats right Marinda! And, yes, I have an old blog post still in draft for that recipe, but never published it, as a few years ago, when I wrote it, I felt like contact lens solution was SO expensive. But it seems I will have to revive that post and share it for sure!
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hi. clicks has borax for R19 … yay! the 1l penguin glue is R48 at takealot. tx u for this recipe. cnt wait to try it wit the kiddies