Skip to content

We will be open for Veterans Day and will close at 4 PM on November 13. Please check our Hours & Admission page for changes to our operating hours.

SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS FOR KIDS

HOW TO MAKE SLIME

Face it — your kids will never stop begging for it. Just give in and make some slime!

Pair of hands press into blob of dough.
Child's hands hold blob of homemade slime.

Tested, edited & approved by:

Bryan Holmes,
Former Assistant Director of Education

click
to learn
more

This animal is not on exhibit in the habitats. It is one of our Animal Ambassadors and is used in public and school programs.

If you’ve got kids, chances are you’ve heard of slime. It’s everywhere! At home, at school, at every kid’s party you’ve gone to – and on the floor. In fact, you’ve probably got some stuck to your shoe right now.

Here’s a way to make some slime of your own. Using just glue, water and Borax, your little slime fanatics can whip up a batch of the sticky, gooey, slimy substance for a fun afternoon project. Remember it’s not for eating, though, so make sure the kids keep it out of their mouths – and off that floor.

GATHER THIS:

  • Glue
  • Water
  • Borax
  • Food Coloring

THEN DO THIS:

Show your child the materials; Borax, white glue and water. Reinforce that you will be doing this step by step; together, and that the materials should not be eaten!

There are two components to slime. There is a borax and water solution and a glue, water, and food coloring solution. Prepare them separately.

  1. Bowl: Pour 1/4 cup glue, 1/4 cup of water and 4 drops of food coloring into a large mixing bowl. Mix together with a spoon.
  2. Cup: Mix 1/2 teaspoon borax into 1/2 cup of water and stir until borax dissolves.
  3. Slowly pour the borax solution from the cup into the large mixing bowl with the glue and stir slowly.
  4. Continue stirring until a slimy mixture forms.
  5. Once the slime has formed, knead the mixture until it becomes less sticky.

WHAT IS HAPPENING?

What’s going on? The borax is acting as the cross-linking agent or “connector” for the glue (polyvinyl acetate) molecules. Once the glue molecules join together to form even larger molecules called polymers, you get a thickened gel very similar to slime.

WHAT THIS TEACHES:

Skills: Chemistry

Themes: Chemistry

Join the CuriOdyssey Community

LOCATION

1651 Coyote Point Drive
San Mateo, CA 94401
Ohlone Land Acknowledgement
650-342-7755
[email protected]

CuriOdyssey is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, Tax ID 94-1262434

AZA_Decals_Accredited_300px
ASTC_Member_red_300px
Scroll To Top