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Slime and Similar: Favorite Recipes

| March 30, 2018
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Slime has been marketed to kids since the introduction of silly putty in the 1950s. Its unique consistency creates a sensory experience that is hard to duplicate. So it is not a surprise that the library has been making slime and similar concoctions with kids for years, including during an upcoming Library Lab.

However, I did find the trend of adults making slime surprising. Slime tutorials were huge on YouTube and Pinterest in 2017. Adults find playing with slime therapeutic. Additionally, experimenting with ingredients to find the perfect formula is physically creative.

Here are my favorite slime recipes for kids and adults.

Slime

kids making green slime

Ingredients

  1. 1/2 cup school glue
  2. 1/2 cup water
  3. 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  4. 1 tablespoon saline solution

Instructions

  1. Mix the glue and water together in a bowl until dissolved.
  2. Add the baking soda and stir.
  3. Add the saline solution and stir.
  4. Knead the mixture thoroughly with your hands.

Marshmallow Dough

large multiple colored marshmallows stacked on a plate

Ingredients

  1. 5 large marshmallows
  2. 3 tablespoons corn starch
  3. 2 teaspoons cooking oil
  4. 1-5 drops food coloring

Instructions

  1. Add the marshmallows, corn starch and cooking oil to a microwave safe bowl.
  2. Microwave on high for 10-30 seconds until the marshmallows expand.
  3. Add the food coloring on top of the marshmallows (not to the corn starch).
  4. Stir with a spoon to combine all the ingredients.
  5. When it gets too hard to stir, kneed it by hand until the color and ingredients are completely combined. (Be careful, it might be hot.)
  6. If it’s too sticky, add more corn starch. If it’s still too sticky, add more oil. Cover your hands in corn starch to keep it from sticking to you.

Floam

girl holding floam

Ingredients

  1. 2 tsp of Borax
  2. 1/4 cup of Elmer’s Glue
  3. 1/3 cups of Polystyrene Beads (bean bag filler)
  4. 3/4 cups of Water
  5. Food coloring if desired.

Instructions

  1. In a bowl combine 2 teaspoons of borax with 1/2 cup of very warm water.
  2. Mix until the borax is dissolved.
  3. In a separate bowl combine 1/4 cup of Elmer’s glue with 1/4 cup of water.
  4. Once the ingredients in both bowls are dissolved pour everything into a ziplock bag (glue mixture, borax mixture, and polystyrene beads).
  5. Seal the bag and shake until everything is combined (there will be a lot of excess liquid).
  6. Dump out and PLAY!