Do you want to know how to make slime for your kids? Check out our guide below.
How To Make Slime For Kids
Time to Get Your Slime On
Kids love it when you take a few raw ingredients and turn them into something else entirely. What makes it even better is if they can play with whatever you’ve created. It’s even more special if that something is ooey and gooey and gets you those “ewwwws” and “ahhhhs.”
That is why knowing how to make slime is a must-have skill, especially if you want to be a cool dad.
The finished product is extremely fun to play with for both kids and adults. Plus, you can easily and safely make this at home in just 5 minutes because the ingredients are most likely lying around your house. What more can you ask for from a badass DIY project, right?
Unfortunately, gentlemen, a lot of DIY slime recipes have ingredients such as borax or detergents that are not safe for kids. Children are especially curious and might end up putting something dangerous in their mouth.
Knowing how to make slime is one thing… knowing how to make slime without borax or liquid starch or all those other not-safe-for-kids ingredients is another.
One such recipe uses Elmer’s glue as the primary ingredient. While a lot of other all-natural slime recipes contain only edible ingredients, they usually end up messier, stickier, and less slime-like compared to this one. Elmer’s glue might not be edible, but it is not toxic either, making it safe for small children to use.
What You Need
- Elmer’s glue (6-12oz of this should be enough)
- Baking soda
- Saline solution or contact lens solution (You could either buy this or make your own)
- Food coloring
Reminder:
- Depending on the age of your kids, you can ask them to help you out. They may love to make all that goo themselves.
- Do your best to follow the right measurements. Add too much of one of these ingredients and you might end up with nothing more than a mess (though your kids would definitely love that, too).
Step 1: Pour Glue into Mixing Bowl
Pour about 6 oz of glue into a mixing bowl. This should make a small handful of slime, just enough for one kiddo.
While we recommend using Elmer’s glue, any PVA glue should work just fine. Just make sure that whatever glue you choose, it is non-toxic. You do not want your kids getting that stuff in their mouths.
PVA (glue) Definition: PVA stands for Poly(vinyl acetate) which was discovered in Germany. PVA glue is a type of thermosoftening plastic. Often, people know this better as either white glue, carpenter’s glue or wood glue.
Step 2: Mix in Baking Soda
Add about 1/4 or 1/2 teaspoons of baking soda. Make sure to stir the mixture well with a spoon.
Baking soda is a thickener, helping form your slime into something more solid and firm. While we recommend adding 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoons, you could also experiment to get the consistency you want. Less baking soda gives you oozier slime, more gives you a thicker mix.
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Step 3: Add Food Coloring
At this point, add whatever color or mix of colors of food coloring you want your slime to look like. If you are having a difficult time choosing, neon green is always a classic and one your kids have most likely seen on television as well.
Approximately 10 drops of food coloring should be enough, but you can add more or less depending on how bold you want the colors.
Step 4: Add Saline Solution
Add 1 tablespoon of your saline solution. This will almost instantly start binding with your glue mixture and create your putty.
The saline solution acts as the slime activator. It helps give the slime that satisfyingly rubbery texture your kids would love.
Preferably, start with 1/2 teaspoon first and add a bit more if necessary. You can tinker a little bit with the amount of baking soda and saline solution to add to the mixture until you get the consistency you want.
TIPS: Just be careful not to add too much as this could make your slime too stiff. As much as possible, however, do not deviate too far from the instructions given here.
Step 5: Stir Into Slime
Mix the solution until it is too thick for you to mix with a spoon. At this point, start mixing it with your hands. Stir and mix the solution until it is nice and thick. As you stir, you should start noticing the consistency changing.
After all that stirring and mixing, all the liquid will eventually get soaked up and voila! You have your very own stretchy, gooey ball of slime to play with.
Step 6: Wait, Play, Enjoy
Let the slime sit for 20-30 minutes to allow the ingredients to solidify a little more, making it a lot less sticky and a lot more fun to play with.
Storing Your Slime
Remember to wash your hands before and after making and playing with the slime. Doing so keeps your hands clean and, in effect, helps preserve your slime and keep it in its best condition for much longer.
After playing with it, store it in a clean, reusable plastic or glass container. Keep the container covered when nobody is playing with the slime.
Learn how to make slime in this video from Come Slime With Me:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuabG4_vAoY
Knowing how to make slime is a fun and useful tool for every awesome dad to have in his arsenal. Just make sure to use ingredients that are safe and non-toxic. When you have made your slime, store it in a sealed container. This should keep it just as gooey and slimy for weeks before it dries out.
Are there other DIY slime recipes you recommend? Share them with us in the comments section below!
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