What’s the Deal with Slime? (DIY/How to make it/activities for kids, etc)
The latest thing that has taken the children’s playroom by storm is slime. It’s similar to silly putty because it moves and stretches, but sadly, it won’t pick up the comics off of the newspaper. The best part about slime is that you can make it at home! Turn the fun playtoy into a learning science experiment. If your kids are over the age of four, then you can let them become part of the creation of their slime. Let them choose what color they want the slime to be, and give them freedom to add other fun things like glitter and plastic jewels.
How To Make Slime
To start, make a space on the countertop and be ready for a little bit of a mess. Have some old towels or paper towels nearby incase of a spill. You’ll want to do this near a sink for hand washing. Make sure your kids don’t stick any dirty hands in their mouths. Slime is meant to be played with and not eaten. Sime is so easy to make, and so fun for the kids. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Large mixing bowl
- A plastic spoon
- Elmer’s glue
- Borax
- Water
- Food coloring
- Glitter
Add ¼ of the Elmer’s glue and ¼ cup of water in the large mixing bowl. Add the food coloring and other things like glitter if you want a colorful slime. Add ¼ cup of borax to the solution and stir slowly. Stir with your spoon as much as you can until it become solid. Then put down the spoon and start kneading it with your hands. It will become less sticky the more that you knead it.
Once you’ve kneaded it to your liking, you can stretch and play with it all you like. Have your older kids be a part of making the slime. Always use the slime under adult supervision, and never ingest it. When you aren’t using your slime, keep it in a plastic bag in the fridge so that it doesn’t grow mold.
Activities With Slime
There aren’t any rules when it comes to playing with slime. Whether you make it to stretch it and squeeze it for fun, or as a stress reliever at your desk, there are so many uses for this versatile homemade toy. Kids of all ages will have a blast squeezing, kneading, and mushing it! Here are some fun activities you can do with slime:
- Create Letters: If your kids are at the age where they are starting to learn their colors, shapes, and letters, then this is a great game for them. Tell them a letter, and let them mold the slime until they have created that letter.
- Hidden Object Game: Put a small object in the slime that the kids have to find. To make things more interesting, you can time them to see how fast they can do it.
- Slime In The Jar: Have the kids fit the slime into a jar that has a wide mouth. Once you move the slime around some it’ll create some air bubbles. When you push the air out, it’ll make a funny noise that will remind everyone of flatulence. Your kiddos will be screaming with laughter. Who would have thought slime could be a fart machine? No matter how old you get, it still makes you giggle.
Make a fun day with the kids by getting a little messy. When you are done making your slime, you can wash your mixing bowl out in the sink and wash it as you normally would. It’s safe to go down the sink. Give your counter tops a thorough cleaning, and keep your slime wrapped up until next time!