Don't you LOVE it when your little one is over the moon about an activity you shared together?!
I do!!
This morning we made RAINBOW SLIME and Biscuit was beside herself with excitement.
There are a few ways to make slime, however I found this recipe works best ~
1 1/2 cups of CLEAR glue and 1 1/2 cups of liquid starch.
The liquid starch we used was the brand STA-FLO, you can find it at your local grocery store with the laundry detergent or you can purchase on amazon.
The liquid starch we used was the brand STA-FLO, you can find it at your local grocery store with the laundry detergent or you can purchase on amazon.
You mix it all together, separate the slime into a few small bowls and add food coloring to each bowl.
You only need a few drops of food coloring!!!
The mixture may need to be mixed with your hands for a bit to get the desired texture, depending on the brand of glue you use. We used Elmer's Clear Glue.
The mixture may need to be mixed with your hands for a bit to get the desired texture, depending on the brand of glue you use. We used Elmer's Clear Glue.
Making her slime
All ready to go!
"Stretchy"
"Eeeeeew."
"I squish it!"
"SQEEEEEEZE!"
Deep in thought....
By the end there was just one big ball of slime.
She played with this stuff for thirty minutes ~ uninterrupted.
*High-fiving myself*
Happy Playing & Exploring!!
Ha! Guess what is sitting on my shelf ready to be mixed? Clear glue and liquid starch. We've done this with white glue but not yet with clear. You stole my mind. ;) I wasn't going to mix a few colors, though. That is a great idea!
ReplyDeleteGreat minds think alike!!! So excited to see what your handsome little men think of it!! xoxo
DeleteThey looooved it! Great minds, indeed. :)
Deletehttp://trainupachildlearnaswego.blogspot.com/2012/06/slimey-putty.html
is it any different with white glue? i have some that i need to use up. i usually buy lots around back to school time from target when its cheap...
DeleteI've only used white glue with borax and water (search GAK). Good luck!
Deletedoes white glue work just as well for the slime?
DeleteGreat Idea! Cant wait to try it out! How would you store it? Does it keep for future play?! Thanks!!!
ReplyDeleteIt should keep for a about a week in a plastic bag, maybe longer... Let me know how it goes!
DeleteWhat kind of glue is clear glue?
ReplyDeleteHi Tracy! We used Elmer's clear glue.
DeleteWhere do you find liquid starch?
ReplyDeleteHi Emily! You can find liquid starch in the laundry section of your local grocery store or Target, etc.
DeleteThis looks like a very fun project for kids. I posted your tutorial on the Artfire Kids forum http://www.artfire.com/guild_forums/view_thread/1697 I thought the moms there would enjoy it.
ReplyDelete..can't wait to make this with Grands...had never heard of clear glue or liquid starch? Where to purchase? Hob Lob? Walmart? Michael's Thank You...
ReplyDeleteYou can find clear glue at Michael's and liquid starch anywhere you find laundry detergent. Have fun!!!
DeleteEven my teens love to play with this stuff!
ReplyDeleteI think I messed up. Help. Mine came out clumpy with lots of liquid starch still left over. I put them both in, then mixed. I didn't use clear glue though. I used white but didn't think that mattered. Help.
ReplyDeleteHi!! So I think the brand of glue may have something to do with it because I have received so many emails about the white glue coming out lumpy.... We used Elmer's Clear Glue. It wasn't super slimey at first, it took some mixing with our hands to really get the desired texture. I would try again with the clear glue and see what happens!!
DeleteThe same thing happened with us, and I used elmers washable clear clue and StoFlo concentrated liquid starch. It never became one big glop and I had lots o liquid. i even used a whisk to try to get it to mix but no luck. :-(
DeleteOh no! I hate to hear it didn't work out! As I said above, I used my hands to mix and it worked really well. Maybe give it another go?!
DeleteSo, is what I had a state that you've seen and your work at it until it gets smooth? Oh, and by the way, my boys had a great time anyway!
Deletejust made it tonight with my 3. we used an off brand clear glue and sta-flo (which i found at walmart- tried the grocery store and k mart before that and they didn't carry liquid starch!) anyway- did the 1:1 ratio and it was lumpy and liquidy- BUT i got my hands in there and started squishing and added more glue until it was just right. the kids LOVED it! feels great, smells clean and the colors come out so vibrant! great post- just may take a little tweaking and elbow grease to get the right consistency! :D
DeleteWe will certainly be adding this to our summer bucket list.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds awesome! Pinned and saved for later! :D
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to make this with my kids this week! Thank you!!!
ReplyDeleteTried this with my nephew and it worked but it came out very lumpy...any idea what we did wrong?
ReplyDeleteHi Stephanie! I have had several people say their slime came out lumpy. Not sure if it is related to the brand of glue? Our slime was not super lumpy, but it took some mixing with our hands to get the desired texture. What brand of glue did you all try?
DeleteI tried this project with white glue and it didn't really turn out like yours. And the food coloring stained our hands. granted, the kids played with it so it wasn't a total disappointment. In reading some other blogs on this receipe it sounds like you should add the coloring to the glue and then slowly add the starch. i didn't do it in that order...will give it another try once I find clear glue and hope if there are other hints that someone will post them, too.
ReplyDeleteHi Shannon, Thanks for you tips. I have had some emails about the white glue being troublesome to work with. Try it with the Elmer's clear glue and let me know how it goes!! The food coloring was not a problem at all for us. It took really well and did not leave any residue on Biscuit's hands. However I stirred it for a good while before allow her to attack it :) Happy playing & exploring!!
DeleteSo could it just be equal parts of each?? I LOVE THIS! When I taught science, we made GAK, very similar, but with glue, borax, water, etc...I like this better!!
ReplyDeleteYes indeed, equal parts! Thanks Courtney!
DeleteWe just made this and the ironing spray (closest thing to liquid starch I could get) didn't mix in to the glue. Its been 15 minutes and although it was slimy at first its already drying out...
ReplyDeleteIs ironing aide spray actually liquid starch like I thought or is that where I went wrong?? We ALL have blue hands too!
I considered getting out the mixer to mix better but ended up tipping the liquid down the sink and keeping the slimey bit...
Hi Christine!! The spray may not yield the same results as liquid starch. The brand we used is Sta-Flo liquid starch and it can be found at Target, or even on Amazon.com, we actually found it in the grocery store! Give it another go with the Sta-Flow and let me know how it goes. You may still have blue hands from the food coloring ;) I mixed it in really well before Biscuit got into it, that helped a great deal.
DeleteFound this on pinterest. Can't wait to try it. Just wish you had a print button on your site!
ReplyDeleteAw thank you!! I will look into getting a print widget!
DeleteI am thinking bowls of this in slimy swamp green would be a great Hallowe'en crafty project. Does it dry out very quickly or will it keep for awhile if in an airtight container? :) Thanks for the 'recipe!
ReplyDeleteGreat idea! It should keep well in an airtight container.
DeleteThis looks awesome! I will try it. Boys always love slimey things...
ReplyDeleteThe messier the better! I hope your munchkins enjoy!
DeleteI am having trouble finding the glue...I went to Target and Michael's. No luck with Elmer's for sure...at Michael's they had some clear tacky glue, but it was $7.99 for a 4 oz. bottle...way out of my price range to use for party favors for my son's birthday party. Also, I only found Niagara spray starch at Target, is that right??
ReplyDeleteHi Courtney, I just added a link in the post itself to amazon where you can buy the exact same products we used. It seems that Target stores carry different items depending on location. I hope this helps!!
DeleteIf it helps, I found Elmer's clear glue at Wal-Mart in the office supplies section. It was $1.79 for a 5 oz bottle. It took 2 1/2 5oz bottles to make 1 1/2 cups.
DeleteYou said a few times that you mixed it really well before you let your daughter have at it. What did you mix it with? Was it in a mixer, or with a spoon, or just with your own hands??
ReplyDeleteHi Janica, I mixed with my hands mostly :)
DeleteI want to make this and I don't even have children. I might try and find some liquid starch (not widely available in the UK) and try it with my nieces and nephew. Looks amazing!
ReplyDeleteI hope you get a chance to try it out!! :)
DeleteLove this idea! Although I am so sad because I've been planning it all day and I made it and it turned out all lumpy with extra liquid? I used 1 bottle of clear elmers glue & 1 bottle of clear elmers glue with glitter in it and made it with half starch & half glue. Any ideas on why it didn't work? Maybe it was the glitter elmer's glue? No clue but I am afraid to try it again. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHi Melissa! Oh no!! Hmmmmm, maybe it needed more mixing? Our started out a bit lumpy too, but after mixing with my hands it turned into the perfect texture.
DeleteWe just made this exactly as posted, and ours turned out SUPER runny too. I just kind of "wrung" it out in my hands, if that makes sense, and it turned out perfect once the extra liquid dripped off. Looks exactly like the slime pictured now, and my five year old is loving it!
ReplyDeleteExactly Jennie!! Awesome!!!
DeleteIs there an expiration date, when it needs to stop being used?
ReplyDeleteI am sure it would dry out at some point.... We did not keep ours very long.
DeleteI make this with clear and white glue in my class. Sometimes you need to drain off the liquid then mix the left over glue slime with your hands. Mailed sure to POP the glue bubbles when you are mixing. Too much starch and it will stay runny. We've always been able to correct it. The runny problem is with the ratio of glue and starch.
ReplyDeleteGreat tips! Thank you! ;)
DeleteI made this all the time when I worked with one year olds! They loved it! And we used normal white school glue and it came out just fine! Sometimes it just needs a bit more mixing. =) And it would last us a month sometimes two! We just store it in ziploc baggies! And FYI, if it gets in your carpet or on their clothes...straight white vinegar will dissolve it!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the tips!!
DeleteWe love this recipe! If you use Elmer's Glue Gel instead of the clear glue, it's called Super Bubble Ooze. Give your kiddos a straw and put a small blob about the size of a large bouncy ball on the end of the straw and pinch the ooze to the end of the straw and blow. You'll get some fun, clear bubbles. My kiddos also lay out a piece like a flat pancake on the table and put the straw under it. Then use their hands to push down around the the edge of the ooze so air can't escape and blow. They got bubbles bigger than their heads and thought it was great. Lots of contests to see whose was bigger. So much fun! Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteman did I need to see this. I am running out of ideas. http://entirelyemily.blogspot.com/2012/07/what-do-i-do-with-my-kids-all-day.html
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing. Now I just need to go buy that stuff.
I found this via Pinterest and have to thank you for such an awesome project! I made this with my little boys tonight and they LOVED it! Such a cool alternative to playdoh. :)
ReplyDeleteHey there! Just wanted to let you know we featured you in our Favorite Find Fridays post over at Whimsically Homemade. We used one of your pictures. If that's a problem let us know and we'll remove it immediately. Thanks for your great inspiration!
ReplyDeleteThank you Megan! That's great, I'm glad you enjoyed the slime. xoxo
DeleteI made this for my kids and they loved it! Thanks!! http://www.onecreativehousewife.com/2012/07/happy-birthday-goo.html
ReplyDeleteYay!! Thank you! xoxo
DeleteThis is sensational!!!! Thank you so much for such a wonderful activity for my 4 kids under 6 years!!! xxDani
ReplyDeleteDani, just checked out your blog! Amazing! xoxo
DeleteAwesome idea. I got to try this:)
ReplyDeleteThank you
Im doing this now with my 6 year old. Followed the directions to the T. Can't get it to mix right. :( I have been at it for over a half hour now. He is so disappointed. :( . I bought everthing from Walmart last night, so its all brand new. Don't know what happen. Thanks for the idea anyway.
ReplyDeleteOh no! Jackie I am so sorry to hear that, there are tons of great tips here in the comments. Also, as I mentioned mixing with your hands really helps. The mixture will be a bit lumpy, it gets better the more you play with it!
DeleteMy daughter and I just did this today! We had a great time playing with these. Made different colored batches starting with 1/8 cup clear glue to starch ratio and gel food coloring on the bottom of the bowl. I mixed it by hand squishing it between my fingers. I did find it to be lumpy and watery but kept up with the mixing. I was worried because I wasn't getting the "slimy" consistency. I also had a very purple hand because of too much food coloring I had added. I washed the mixture and my hand under a little bit of cool running water; and ta-da!, the slime was perfect!! We even played with them on the windows as clings. Thanks so much for this!!
ReplyDeleteAwesome!
DeleteThe trick seems to be to mix the food coloring with the glue. Then SLOWLY add the starch. If it feels lumpy after you've added the starch, let it rest and watch it "melt" together. Lumpy is normal after you've worked vigorously.
ReplyDeleteGreat tips Mary, thank you.
DeleteLiquid Starch is not safe for kids to play with as it contains borax which is a bleach agent. However, you can make this and put it in ziplock bags which still makes a great sensory activity for babies and toddlers
ReplyDeleteThank you Jennifer, great alternative for the itty bitty ones.
DeleteFound this on Pinterest and just made it with my kids. They are loving it! I thought mine didn't work at first because like other posters, it was runny and lumpy. I had cut the recipe down and used 1/2 cup of Sta-Flo starch and 1/2 cup clear Elmer's glue. It got a little thicker after working with it a while but still wasn't right. I decided to add more glue to soak up the starch and it worked great. So if anyone else is having trouble with it being runny, just add more glue until it seems right. We added food coloring once it was done and yes, it is all over me but once it was mixed in, it didn't get on the kids' hands at all--it is perfectly clean. I will say this though- take your time adding more glue. I actually dumped almost the entire bottle in and I think we could have done with less. It isn't quite as stretchy as I hoped for. Easy, cheap, and fun once you figure it out! :)
ReplyDeleteWe made this this morning with white glue and sta flo- it was fantastic!
ReplyDeleteWe poured a standard Elmer's glue bottle in a bowl, dropped in a drop or two of food coloring and mixed it up with a tongue depressor stick. Then I slowly added starch as they stirred. I did the final mixing with my hands then squeezed it out. Perfecto!
I cut the ratio down a bit using less starch. I definitely recommend squeezing out the excess liquid after mixing and mixing the food coloring with the glue first.
Have fun ladies!
the color is a ingredient cool though!!
ReplyDeleteThanks Tami!
ReplyDeleteDid the food coloring stain your hands when you mixed it? What about the table where they played with it? Should you put down wax paper so it doesn't stain or leave a residue?
ReplyDeleteIt stained my hands a little bit, nothing too bad. We played on Biscuit's art table, so staining wasn't a concern. However you may want to use wax paper or foil to protect your table or countertop! Thanks!
DeleteMy slime didn't turn out like yours. :( I only had one bottle of glue so I poured it into a measuring cup then added the same amount of starch. We did use the same brands you did, though. It turned out stringy and mushy. I may have added too much starch. Do you mix in the starch slowly? I did not do that either. No matter how it turned out my 8 year old grandson loved it. We will try again with the proper amounts and see how it goes. Thanks for sharing!
DeleteThis was great! Thank you! However, we did it just a little different to get the right consistency! If any of you had trouble with this check out this blog post to help you get it just right. http://burnttatertots.blogspot.com/2012/08/slime-tutorial.html
ReplyDeletemmm its seems like candy :p
ReplyDeleteMy granddaughter(5y) and grandson(3y) made slime this morning and had a great time! They had a great time and the more they played the better the consistency became.
ReplyDeleteJust made it with white glue & liquid starch (linit brand) easy peasy lemon squeezey - added a drop of green food coloring to the white elmer's glue (4 oz) in a bowl & stirred color in. Then poured about 3 oz of liquid starch into the now semi-empty glue bottle, shook it up, squeezed the starch out of the glue bottle into the the bowl, stirred with a spoon for a bit then used my hands briefly & voila! We had slime, not clear slime but mint green slime. My son is happily playing with it as I type!
ReplyDeleteMy daughters made this today we used elmers glitter glue so it would be sparkly!
ReplyDeleteThis is a super great idea! I would love for you to link it up to my linky party! http://domesticrandomness.blogspot.com/2012/08/friday-fascinations-4-everything-linky.html
ReplyDeleteOne thought I had on the problems with the lumpiness some are referring to...could be difference in humidity in different areas...if that happens, I'd try adding a little more glue (for those that said it seemed "too liquidy") after mixing with your hands to be sure it doesn't mix in eventually. Humidity can cause a lot of problems with ingredients that mix.
ReplyDeleteLove this idea with the clear glue and colors! Thanks for sharing...and if the idea about humidity is somewhere above, I apologize, but I didn't read every single comment. :-)
After not being able to find liquid starch at my local Target and Walmart (and I live in a big city!), on day 3 of begging to do this project my almost 4 year old and I found the starch at our grocery. We mixed with Elmer's clear glitter glue (we purchased the pretty pink, blue and purple colors), and could NOT get this to work! I'm currently letting it "rest" like someone else suggested. It is really stringy and lumpy and there was a lot of excess liquid. Added more glue and it wouldn't incorporate correctly. I've been trying to work it with my hands but it is getting stiffer and honestly the consistency is seriously turning my stomach! (Pregnancy hormones?). Anyway...was hoping for a "Gak" like outcome...is that what the final product should be? My daughter was so excited to try....hoping to still make it work!
ReplyDeleteThanks for all of the good advice in the comments. We had a consistency issue as well and simply added more glue. It is perfect now and my SIL and daughter are currently burying mini dinosaurs in their slime.
ReplyDelete