Since we just made some white play dough for winter fun last week, we tried some slime this week and colored it pink for Valentine’s. It makes itself from 3 simple ingredients.
To make slime, you will need 2 bowls or other containers. I used glass measuring cups. In one, 1/2 cup of warm water and 1/2 cup of white glue. Sometimes, getting the glue to mix with the water is easier than others. For some reason today, I had to use a little whip to get out the clumps. In the second, mix 1 teaspoon of borax and 1 cup of warm water. A few drops of food coloring can be added to either solution. Now comes the fun part. Dump the glue-water solution into the borax-water solution and immediately the slime or polymer forms. Drain off the extra water and squeeze the slime all together. It looks like it will be wet and gloopy but it is like a very stretchy plastic.
Little Sister patted the ball of and made a handprint. It stayed for a little bit then smoothed out. She stretched it out and rolled it. Slime, like play dough, is easy to cut and there’s no worry about cutting on the line. After rolling it out with a rolling pin, she folded it up and put it into a pan. In only a minute or two, the slime spread out and dripped over the edges so she problem solved and put some in another container.
Slime has a different texture from play dough. It feels cool and slippery. Slime doesn’t keep it’s shape the way play dough does, so it can’t be used for making items the same way. Kids seem to figure this out as they play. They can roll it out flat and use cookie cutters but the shape soon turns into a puddle.
The rolling, patting, cutting, and other actions help to strengthen the small muscles and fine motor skills. Slime also encourages concentration and problem solving and sensory stimulation. For a play-of-the-day, would your child enjoy some time with Slime?