Slime!

Howdy! It’s a cold, dreary, rainy day here in Texas. Which makes for a perfect day to do a fun indoor activity! To follow the S.T.E.M. Tuesday theme we’re conducting a science experiment…we’re going to make slime!

I scoured the internet and found a pretty basic slime recipe, gathered the ingredients, little Brax (of course!), and off we started!

Difficulty level: Easy

Time: Under 10 minutes

Slime ingredients:

-1/2 tsp Borax

-1/2 cup White Elmer’s school glue

-Hot water

-Storage bowl, mixing bowl, measuring cups, spoon

-Add in’s- glitter, confetti, food coloring (optional)

Directions:

Step 1: Measure 1/2 cup hot water and mix with the 1/2 cup of glue. Stir well. At this point you will add food coloring and add-in’s of your choice if desired.

Step 2: In a separate bowl, add 1/2 cup of hot water and 1/2 tsp of Borox. Stir well.

Step 3: Add Borox mixture to glue mixture and stir. Shortly after stirring it will begin to resemble slime! It may be liquidy and lumpy looking. Simply pour off the excess water and then knead the slime.

That’s it! Such a fun and easy experiment for kiddos and adults alike! So many different possibilities with different colors and add-in’s. Since Valentine’s Day is coming up we decided to make ours pink with glitter. Be sure to store this in an air tight container.

How slime works – the science behind it:

Polymers are composed of very large chains of molecules that are made of repeating units known as monomers. White glue is an example of a synthetic polymer, and so are rubber, plastic, and nylon. Some natural polymers are starch, DNA, and some proteins. The large chain of molecules that make up white glue is what allows it to be poured. When we add the Borax solution (the slime activator solution) to the glue solution, it changes the structure of the chain making the polymer thicker which then makes the slime! When the borate ions in the Borax mixes with the PVA (polyvinyl-acetate) in the glue it forms the cool stretchy substance we call slime! The mixing of these molecules is called cross linking. To learn more about the simple science check out this resources – The Science of Slime.

Brax didn’t know what to think of the slime at first. He liked to mix and stir the ingredients and eventually liked playing with the slime!