Want to know a secret? I’ve taught Kindergarten, coached, and worked with kids since I was a teenager, but it is really hard for me to watch my kids get messy. I know, I know! So much learning happens through messy play! But, now that my kids are the ones making the mess, all I can think about is cleaning it up! Are they going to need baths after this? Will the baby stay asleep long enough to let me give these squirmy toddlers baths? How am I going to get the floor clean once they finish? You get the idea. For as much as I dread the clean up, I am definitely an advocate for messy place. I just think that there is a time and place to get messy, and it is different for every family!
One thing is for sure, my kids enjoy messy play (most of the time!). And I like to give them the opportunity to get messy when possible. So slime seems like a great play option, right? But, what about the mess it makes?! Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered! The best part about this slime is that it’s not messy! Ok, well, that may not be entirely true. Making it might be a little messy, but once you work it out a bit, it is nothing but fun!
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Materials
- 5 bottles of Elmer’s 4oz Glue
- 1 bottle of Elmer’s Slime Activator
- Food coloring of your choice
- A large bowl and utensil for mixing (I personally prefer a fork, because it cuts through the slime a bit to make mixing easier)
- A container for playing
- This recipe is from Elmer’s, head there to see more recipes and products for your littles!
*Adult Supervision Required with this activity. Although this slime is easy to throw together, it is not edible and children should not be left unsupervised around slime.
Directions
1. Pour all 5 glue bottles into your mixing bowl
2. Add the Slime Activator to the glue
3. Generously apply food coloring of your choice (we did a bunch of red and it still turned out pink)
4. Using your utensil, mix the ingredients together
5. Once it gets too tough to stir, ditch your utensil and use your hands
6. Knead the slime until it is no longer tacky
7. Add the slime to your container and let your kids get busy!
Our Process
After gathering my materials, I let my toddlers help me with the pouring so they were involved in the slime-making process. They loved squeezing each glue bottle into our bowl! Once we got to stirring, I made sure to take over so we didn’t get glue everywhere. We sat on the ground and made our slime, but if you are planning on doing it at the counter, I strongly recommend using a kitchen helper to allow your cuties to safely help out. We are obsessed with ours and use it throughout the entire day! It is an absolute must in our house.
As I said earlier, the mixing is the messy part. I tried to use a glove to mix so my hand wouldn’t get dirty, but the slime completely stuck to it! Should have seen that coming…Anyway, I ended up removing the glove and used my good ole hands to mix it together. It was definitely sticky at first, but the more I mixed and kneaded it, the less sticky it became! So, if you are looking for it to be virtually mess-free for your kids, be sure to knead it for a while.
Slime Time!
My kids were ecstatic when the slime was finally done and got right to playing! I pulled out some of our play jewels for them to use with it. My middle kiddo added all of the jewels to the slime and then my oldest wrapped them all up! I thought for sure they were done for and I was going to have to toss them with the slime when we were done. To my surprise, as the slime was played with more and more, the jewels just popped out, goop free!
Aaaand I was wrong about the slime. I had intended on tossing it after our play session, since it was a bit messy (I didn’t knead it as long as I should have). However, by the time my kiddos were done, it was still stretchy, but no longer sticky! So, I pulled out a tupperware and popped it in. Now, it’s been a week of on and off play and it is still usable! It does get less sticky and less stretchy with each play session, but my kids are still having fun with it, so we are keeping it around!
And to my little who is not a big fan of the slimy texture? The less sticky it got, the more he interacted with it! And that is a huge win in my book. All kids are different and have their own preferences and dislikes. But, more and more I have noticed an increase in kids who don’t like getting messy or have a strong dislike for certain textures. I am most definitely not an expert, but personally, I believe that exposing children to messy play can help them get comfortable with different textures. It can also help them develop appropriate coping techniques when they do get messy, which is essential for everyday slips and spills.
It is all about exposure.
For us, this slime was a huge success! The kiddos had fun (and are still having fun), and they didn’t need a bath when they were done! That’s a win-win in my book.
Have you used slime with your kiddos yet?
Looking for more less-mess sensory fun? Try our ABC Play Dough Sensory Bin!
