Learn Together

Slime involves chemistry! In chemistry, we learn about states of matter including liquids, solids and gases. Slime is a non-Newtonian fluid, which means it is neither a liquid or a solid. It can be picked up like a solid, but oozes as a liquid. When you experiment with slime, you experience changing states of matter and elasticity. Notice slime changes its elasticity when you stretch it in different ways. When mixing slime, a chemical reaction takes place and chemical bonds are created!

Questions to ask your kids: What does your slime feel like? Have you felt anything like this before? What happens when you stretch your slime slow? What happens when you stretch your slime fast? How long can you roll your slime? Can you make your slime stay in your hand? What happens when we add food coloring? What happens when we add sand?

Materials

  • Large bowl
  • Liquid glue
  • 1 Slime activator: Liquid starch, liquid detergent, eye drops, baby oil or saline solution.
  • Ziploc bag
  • Spoon (optional)
  • Glitter (optional)
  • Essential oils (optional)
  • Sand (optional)
  • Food coloring (optional)
  • Shaving cream (optional)

Make Together

  1. Dress for a mess! Slime has ingredients that can stain clothes and other fabrics or carpet. Make sure you play with slime on a hard surface that can be wiped after.
  2. In a bowl, add your liquid glue. We recommend white Elmer’s glue. Remember, the amount of glue you add is about the amount of slime you will make.
  3. Choose one of the slime activators from our list, and add it to your mixture a little at a time until you reach your desired slime texture. Make sure to keep stirring your mixture with your hand or a spoon while adding your activator. The activator makes the glue less sticky, which is why slime doesn’t stay on your hand once mixed!
  4. Add any other desired ingredient to make your slime fun! You can add glitter, essential oils to make it smell good, sand or shaving cream for texture, or food coloring for color. Mix this up!
  5. Lastly, put your slime in a ziploc bag. You can play with it as a sensory toy while it is in the bag, or keep it in your refrigerator for further use.
  6. Dispose after 3-4 times of use.