How To Make Slime - An Easy Homemade Slime Recipe

No doubt slime is a fun, easy-to-make substance that all kids love to play with. But did you know that when your child makes slime they are actually doing science? Wow, who knew that making a simple slime recipe would turn your child into a mad scientist. 

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There are lots of different recipes for slime but no matter what kind of slime your child makes, glitter slime, fluffy slime, or even unicorn slime they are all real chemistry experiments. This non-Newtonian goop is just glue (a polymer)  + an activator like borax, liquid starch, laundry detergent, or even contact solution + water all mixed together.  

Slime Science

Recipes for slime vary however the same chemical process still occurs. Polymers are materials made of long repeating chains of molecules. An activator like borax, when dissolved in water creates borate ions and these ions then help link the polymer molecules from the glue resulting in the polymer molecules not being able to move as easily making it a thicker substance which we call slime. Whew, did you make it through that condensed chemistry lesson? If not that is ok - you can still make a great batch of slime. If you have a curious kid who loves chemistry check out ThoughtCo.com for the real "brainy" science behind the slime.

Slime Do's & Dont's 

As a parent, the most important lesson to remember is NEVER put slime down the sink or any drain. It will end in a disaster (I may or may not be speaking from experience here). The slime will clog your pipes! I recommend using a disposable bowl to mix your slime ingredients into so you can just toss the bowl out in the trash when you are done. 

Today I am going to show you how to make slime with liquid starch as the activator. The recipe is simple and easy to follow using products you probably already have on hand at home. 

Don't forget to Pin this post for later - and follow me on Pinterest for more great craft and activities you can do with your kids. 

Easy Homemade Slime Recipe

• 1/3 cup school glue (Elmer's glue works great)
• 1/2 cup shaving cream
• 1/4 cup water
• 2-3 drops liquid food coloring (optional)
• 1-3 teaspoons liquid starch

Mix together the first 4 ingredients in a bowl. Add one teaspoon of liquid starch and stir for several minutes. If the slime is very runny add an additional 1 to 2 more teaspoons of liquid starch and continue to stir vigorously. Once the mixture becomes thicker your slime is ready to be handled and played with. It will be very sticky however it should become less sticky as you play with it. 

How To Make Slime Video

My daughter published a video on her YouTube channel, RianJane you can watch to see how she made a batch of slime from this recipe. 

Storing Slime

Be sure to store your slime in an air-tight container and be sure to never put your slime directly on furniture, clothing, or other fabric items. If left on a wood surface for too long you might see a watermark stain from the slime too. 

Making slime is the perfect rainy day activity for kids! Add some beads, glitter, styrofoam balls, or other textured items to your slime to amp up the sensory fun. 

What activator do you like using when making slime? Have you tried other slime recipes? I'd love to hear all about your slime adventures in the comments. 

More Fun Activities

Looking for more fun activities to do with your kids? Here are some I think they will enjoy:

Awesome Magic Paper Towel Trick 

Dala Horse Papercraft For Kids

Little Hoot Owl Craft For Kids

How To Make Flower Seed Bombs

How To Make An Easy & Simple Bird Feeder

4 Super Cool STEM Project Kits For Middle Schoolers

Hands on learning can be one of the best ways to inspire, teach and reinforce concepts your child is learning at school. Simple projects that are fun to do make learning seem like...FUN! 

STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) may sound a bit boring to your middle schooler but it doesn't have to be especially when they can make something cool all on their own! 

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Don't worry Momma, pulling together some easy STEM learning activities for your middle schooler doesn't require you to be an expert. Even if you don't consider yourself "math-y" or a science gu-ru you can enjoy these cool activities right along with your kid - you might even learn something too! 

Here is a little secret I discovered that helps me introduce STEM projects to my curious middle schooler - monthly subscription boxes! If you have never used a monthly subscription box before let me tell you our experience and encourage you to try one for your child too.

My oldest son gets a monthly STEM kit with a new project every month. The box is full of all the supplies needed to complete the project (except for things like water, if needed). In addition to the supplies there is an easy to follow instruction booklet that walks him step by step through the entire project or experiment. 

He is in 6th grade and is able to build or assemble most monthly projects on his own. The kit usually has a magazine specifically discussing how the STEM project he learned about is useful in everyday life. For example if he builds something with a circuit board then the magazine will highlight how circuit boards are used by engineers or scientists in the "real world". 

The kit always comes with video links for him to watch too so he can observe the project being assembled as well as other video clips to teach more about the specific topic he is learning about that month. 

The monthly kit has become a springboard for my son's curiosity and many times the kit also has some "on your own" experiments he can do in addition to the project he already built with the kit. This is the only time I might have to add a few items to my weekly shopping list so that he can work on the additional projects. 

By now you are probably asking yourself what is the best monthly subscription box to get my middle schooler? The good news is that there are so many options and most subscription box companies offer a one time purchase option so you don’t have to commit to a longer period of time in case the kit isn’t the right “fit” for your child.

I recommend giving a few different companies a try that way your child and you can get a good feel for how projects are presented and what works best for your child. 

I want to share with you my top 3 recommendations for monthly subscription box STEM kits we use for our homeschool and for fun. 

Hopefully this will inspire you to introduce STEM concepts to your children and encourage them to learn something new and exciting!

4 Super Cool STEM Subscription Box Projects For Middle Schoolers

1.    CREATION CRATE (ages 12+)

Build your own Tech! Each project teaches new lessons in electronics and C++ programming. Projects get more challenging as you learn new commands and components.

What You Get: 

All of the electronic kits are going to be different depending on the project, but the 3 main things you will receive are:

• An UNO R3 microcontroller, which is like a pocket-sized computer (and is also Arduino compatible)

• Various electronic components

• Access to online courses

Each kit encourages hands on learning experience with UNO R3 (arduino compatible) Microcontrollers, Breadboards, Piezo Buzzers, Light Emitting Diodes (LED), Ultrasonic Sensors, Accelerometers, 7-Segment Displays, LCD screens, Microphone Modules, Temperature Humidity Sensors, LED Matrix’s, Photoresistors, Buttons, and Jumper Wires.

Whew! Doesn't that sound like an amazing STEM kit? Great for a beginner and just as fun for anyone with some experience too. You won't go wrong with this subscription box.

2. TINKER CRATE (ages 9-16)

These STEM kits help develop learning and inspire the next generation of innovators - your child! All types of learners will benefit and have FUN from the concepts presented in each crate through enriching projects and activities. 

My kids love that each awesome project has a detailed step-by-step blueprint instructions they find easy to follow. The online tutorials contain many tips & tricks to help them along the way too! 

After the main project is completed the Tinker Zine (magazine) has additional science experiments and activities for your child to do. 

3. EUREKA CRATE (ages 14+)

 

Science + Engineering = Amazing Projects and that is exactly what your child will get each month with the Eureka crate by KiwiCo. This kit will encourage your tween/teen to think about the design and the engineering behind everyday objects and allow them to explore the science principles behind real-world problems. Enspire your young innovator to get busy building their next chapter with creative confidence!

4. Dexter Industries Robot Kit

Awesome robot kits for everyone!! This is the perfect robot kit for your middle schooler or high schooler who wants to experiment with robotics. Building and learning with this kit will inspire and encourage your child to go further with robotics.

Three different robots with three different levels of difficulty provide plenty of challenge for your child as they work their way through the curriculum.

STEM Kits - What Is Your Favorite?

I hope you now have some great STEM kit ideas for your middle schooler (or high schooler). These kits make great gift ideas for Christmas or birthdays too! I'd love to hear which kit your middle schooler loves - leave a comment and join the conversation.

Little Hoot Owl Craft For Kids

Owls are fascinating creatures! Learning about cool animals plus cool (and simple) craft projects are what we love!

For science this year my oldest son is studying Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day which is part of the Apologia Young Explorers Series science books. The Junior Notebooking Journal is amazing, full of activities, lab reports and lap books for him to complete as he works through each lesson. However in an effort to throw in a little art in our school day I love finding good crafts that tie in with what he is studying. My favorite kinds of kid crafts are simple and quick. Since my son is not a big "crafter" this little owl craft we did was the perfect thing for him.

This craft could be used for any age - my 5 year old and my 12 year old made their own owls too! It doesn't take long, uses simple handy supplies and is easy to make. Here is how we made our owls:

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Materials For The Little Hoot Owl Craft

Styrofoam or plastic Solo cup 
yarn of various colors
scissors
school glue
white card stock
buttons
orange construction paper
feathers


Instructions for Little Hoot Owl Craft

Cut several lengths of various colors of yarn. We found it easier to use cut lengths rather than use a big ball of yarn.

Spread an even layer of school glue on the outside of the cup covering the entire surface except for the top . Stick a piece of cut yarn on the outside of the cup pressing it down to get it to stick to the glue. Begin wrapping your yarn around the cup, pressing to stick. Continue covering the entire perimeter of the cup with the strings of yarn until the cup's surface is no longer visible. You may need to add more glue as you go to make sure the yarn stays glued to the cup.

Once your cup is completely covered, set it aside to dry. While your yarn wrapped cup is drying cut out two quarter size circles from the white card stock paper. Select two buttons (if you don't have buttons just use black construction paper) and glue them to the white circles. If you want silly looking eyes or crossed eyes you can adjust where you glue the buttons on the white card stock circles. Set the eyes aside to dry.

Now cut a triangle shape from the orange construction paper for your owl's beak.

Since all the owl parts are ready we can begin assembling the owl. It's OK if the glue on your yarn covered cup isn't completely dry yet. Begin by gluing the owl's eyes onto the front of the cup. You may have to hold them on for a bit until the glue starts to dry. The buttons can cause the eyes to slip while the glue is still wet.

After the eyes are on glue the beak just under the eyes tucking one edge of the triangle under the eyes. Next select two large feathers to glue to the sides of your cup to resemble the owl's wings. You are finished! See wasn't that easy?

You could make any type of bird you want by using different colored yarn. Our earth tone browns and beige yarn really made our bird look like a little owl. For a cardinal red yarn would work great and you could use navy or black yarn to make a crow! The possibilities are endless.

 These are the supplies I used and recommend for this project (click on the link to be taken directly to the website where you can purchase the item):

found on Amazon

found at Walmart

found on Amazon

found at; Walmart

from: Walmart

What is your favorite bird? Send me pictures of your "little hoot owls" and share your creations with everyone!

Love simple crafts? Check out the Bird Kites we made. This is super simple and functional! My kids love flying their bird kites and I know yours will too.

click HERE to read more