Slime in the Time of Corona

Homemade slime is a science-y craft kids can do while they’re staying at home due to Covid-19 pandemic. Ooey, gooey, squishy gunk make from basic white school glue was all the rage a couple of years ago, with lots of how-to videos and directions springing up online.

When my granddaughers (grandgirls, I call ‘em) wanted to do it, I tried to find the simplest ingredients and easiest directions. Looking around online, there was a big variety — contact lens solution, shampoo, shaving cream, baking soda, etc. You can also use clear Elmer’s Glue instead of white glue, to give a more translucent look.

I decided that a box of borax was the easiest way to go. I found the 20 Mule Team brand hiding on the bottom shelf of the laundry detergent aisle.  Since you only use about ½ teaspoon per batch of slime, one $5.99 box goes a long way. For many years, borax has been a laundry-cleaning staple. This dates me, but one of my earliest TV-watching memories is the 20 Mule Team Borax commercial. You don’t necessarily need the shaving cream, but I found that a small squirt makes the slime a little more fluffy in texture. In these days of avoiding the grocery store as much as possible, don’t make an extra trip for shaving cream; you’ll be fine without it.

This recipe makes a stretchy, sticky slime. If you prefer a more firm, “silly putty’ texture, add a bit more borax powder — maybe 1/2 teaspoon — in the solution. But go easy on the borax! I used a tablespoon of borax the first time I tried making this with my grandgirls, and the mixture seized into a super-firm rubbery lump.

Another reason to go easy on the borax: it can irritate the skin and eyes, and like other household products such as salt and baking soda, it can be toxic if ingested in large quantities. That’s why this recipe uses only a tiny amount of borax – 1/2 teaspoon to make about 1 ¼ cup of slime.  And, I recommend this as a project for school-age kids, not toddlers who tend to lick and taste everything around them.

Some precautions in working with borax:

1- Don’t use larger amounts of borax than called for in the recipe.

2. Have a responsible adult measure and mix the borax powder into the hot water to make the solution. Also, by coloring the solution, someone won’t mistake it for water and drink it.

3. Throw away any remaining solution as soon as you’re finished.

4. Don’t let your kids eat the slime. This is a project for school-age kids, not toddlers who tend to put everything in their mouths.

5. Wash hands after playing with the slime. (A no-brainer, since everyone is constantly washing their hands nowadays anyway.)

7. Store the borax where kids can’t get into it.

SLIME RECIPE

4 ounces (1 small bottle or ½ of a large bottle) white or clear school glue

1/2 cup water

½ cup hot water

1/2 teaspoon borax powder

Food coloring

1 squirt shaving cream, optional

Pour 4 ounces (contents of a small bottle) of white school glue into a bowl, and stir in ½ cup water until thoroughly mixed.

Mix 1/2 teaspoon borax powder with ½ cup of hot water. Stir until the borax dissolves. Add a few drops of food coloring into the borax solution.

Add a squirt of shaving cream to the glue mixture, optional.

Drop about a tablespoon of the borax solution into the glue.

Stir quickly. The glue will start to thicken up.

Keep stirring to keep the glue from getting lumpy. Add a few more teaspoons of the borax solution, and keep stirring, until you ALMOST have the consistency you want. Because once you start kneading it, it will thicken up a little more. Be careful not to add too much solution too quickly, or the slime will stiffen into clumps.

With your hands, mix and squish and squeeze the slime to get out any lumps. Form it into a blob. Makes about 1 ¼ cups of slime.

Throw away any leftover borax solution as soon as you’re finished. 

When not in use, store the slime in a plastic ziplock bag or container with lid so it doesn’t drop on furniture, carpets, etc. Store the borax and shaving cream away from children’s reach.