How to Make Slime
Slimy, Snotty, Oozy Fun
Nothing says disgusting fun like slime.
Kids will love to play with it and the texture is a good way for them to explore the sense of touch. Slime also helps kids learn about solids and liquids and things that are bit of both. Slime is technically a colloid and has some of the properties of both a liquid and a solid.
You can make a squishy goo by using these simple recipes for slime. Your kids will be able to make most of these in about 15 minutes or less. There are 4 different recipes for slime using various ingredients. There is even directions on how to make your slime glow in the dark.
Roll up your sleeves and get ready for things be snotty, gooey, and fun!
Slime Recipe 1
Simple Cornstarch Mix
Materials:
Bowl
Spoon
1 Cup cornstarch
1 Cup of water
Green food coloring (optional, other colors can be substituted)
This recipe makes the thickest slime. It looks less like snot than the other recipes. Add the water to the bowl and pour in a few drops of the food coloring and mix together.
Slowly stir in the cornstarch mixing it continuously. It will thicken as you add more cornstarch. Keep adding cornstarch and mixing until your goo reaches the desired consistency.
This slime acts like a colloid. It will be more liquid as you stir. When you stop stirring, it will become more solid. More water can be added as necessary.
Add several drops of food coloring to make the slime whatever color you want. You can even add glitter for sparkly slime.
Slime Recipe 2
More Complex Cornstarch Mix
Materials:
Bowl
Spoon
¾ Cup of cornstarch
½ Cup of water
½ Cup of vegetable oil
Green food coloring (optional, other colors can be substituted)
This recipe will be runnier than the first. To start, mix several drops of food coloring and the water. Then pour in the oil and stir. The oil and water will not mix together completely.
Slowly add the cornstarch and mix well. More cornstarch can be added to thicken the slime. If you stop stirring, the ingredients will begin to separate. Stir them a bit and they will remix.
For Younger Kids -
Use one of the first two recipes if you have little ones and are concerned they try to eat it. The ingredients in the first and second recipes are completely safe.
Making Slime
This recipe uses liquid starch, water, and glue.
Slime Recipe 3
Liquid Starch Mix
Materials:
Bowl
Spoon
½ Cup water
½ Cup glue
½ Cup liquid starch
Green food coloring (optional, other colors can be substituted)
This recipe looks more like snot that the previous two. Liquid starch is sometimes difficult to find in stores. See slime recipe 4 for a similar slime texture without the liquid starch. First mix the glue and the water in a bowl. The color and texture of the glue will determine how the snot looks. White glue will make the mixture thicker. Clear glue will look more translucent. Add food coloring and stir.
Then add the liquid starch. The mixture will begin to thicken and clump together. If you pick it up with the spoon or with your hand, it will ooze and run like snot.
Snot Poll
What is the grossest color of snot?
Wanna Know About Real Snot?
Check out this article about snot.
- Snot Decoded
The color of your snot can tell you a lot about what is going on inside your body. Clear, white, yellow, green, brown, red, or gray-what does your mucus say about you?
Another Slime Recipe
This recipe uses borax, glue, and water.
Slime Recipe 4
Borax Mix
Materials:
Bowl
Spoon
Cup
Water
Tablespoon of Borax powder
School glue
Green food coloring (optional, other colors can be substituted)
The texture of this recipe is similar to real snot. This is my preferred recipe for slime. Borax can be an eye irritant or can be harmful if swallowed, so monitor children carefully when making this recipe.
In a separate cup, mix a tablespoon full of borax and ¼ cup of warm water. In the bowl, mix half a cup of glue and half a cup of water. The exact measurements do not matter as much as making sure you have equal parts water and glue. Add several drops of food coloring to the glue and water and mix well.
Pour the borax mixture into the glue mixture and stir. The slime will immediately thicken and glob together. You can use the spoon or your hands to play with the slime. You can wear gloves if you are concerned about the Borax. If you want thicker slime, add a bit more glue until you get it to the desired consistency. Add more water for thinner, runnier slime.
Cool Tricks
-You can put the slime into ziplock baggies. The slime will still move around in the bag. The kids can play with it with minimal mess.
-Add marbles, noodles, or other toys into the slime. See how it affects the slime. The different textures will be entertaining to the kids.
Glow in the Dark Slime
There are two ways to make your slime glow in the dark. Either method will work with any of the slime recipes. The first way is to add glow in the dark paint or powder to the slime as you are mixing the ingredients.
The second way to make glowing slime is to substitute tonic water for the regular water in the recipes. Tonic water glows under a black light, so the slime will glow when tonic water is added.
Which slime recipe is your favorite? Please get snotty with me!
