hypothesis of making slime

VanCleave's Science Fun

Your Guide to Science Projects, Fun Experiments, and Science Research

Science Project: Slime/Hypothesis

By Janice VanCleave

A hypothesis is your guess about the answer to the project question. This is not a “wild” guess. You need to have a good reason for the hypothesis you state.

Project Question

1. If two solution, glue and borax, are mixed, what effect would the viscosity of the  glue used have on the viscosity of the slime ?

independent variable: viscosity of glue

dependent variable: viscosity of slime

Project Hypothesis

1. Viscosity measures how easy something flows. Glues that are thick and slow to flow will produce thick, slow flowing slime.

2. Viscosity is the resistance to flowing, so the more viscous the glue the more viscous will be the slime.

Step 6 : Experiment

Share this:

Complete Guide to Making Slime

by Science Explorers | Feb 7, 2019 | Blog | 0 comments

Kids love slime, and you can help them make it while sneaking in a science lesson. You can even skip the pricey slime kits from the store.

Making slime for kids does not have to be expensive when you use ingredients from around your home. You’ll connect with your kids, engage their creative sides and teach them science. This combination of attributes means slime-making is the perfect activity for elementary school kids.

Click Here To Register For One Of Our Virtual Programs

What Is Slime?

Slime   consists of long molecules called polymers   that move slowly against each other. Polymers make up the glue, but when you add a secondary ion mixture, the additional product links the polymers into a tighter network than before. The result is a slime that stretches, bounces and flattens in ways the ingredients could do on their own.

Materials You Need

To make slime, you need a glue mixture and a borax mixture. While the borax mixture has substitutes, borax tends to work best for the recipe. The amounts of alternative ingredients will vary. For best results, follow the recipe carefully the first time. However, encourage kids to experiment with what would happen if they change parts of the mixture.

1. Glue Mixture

To make the glue mixture, you will need equal parts glue and water. White, gel or clear school glue all work well to make slime — do not use paste or super glue. If you want to add color or glitter, opt for clear glue. You can find all types of glue at craft stores or office stores.

To save money on school glue for upcoming slime projects, stock up in the late summer when stores offer back-to-school supply sales. During the rest of the year, look for clearance deals, closeouts and coupons to save money. If you need a lot of glue for a major slime party, consider shopping in bulk at a warehouse store.

2. Borax Mixture

The borax mixture creates the bridges between the glue molecules. You will need a 12:1 ratio of water to borax, which converts to   one tablespoon water to one-quarter teaspoon borax . A   four percent solution of borax   in water also works. This percentage equals one tablespoon borax per cup of water. Be careful when handling borax before mixing it into the slime. Some people have skin sensitivities that may flare if they touch borax.

Instead of borax, use liquid starch. You will need   five ounces of glue to two tablespoons water to eight tablespoons   liquid starch. This mixture will replace both the borax and glue mixtures. When mixing, add the starch two tablespoons at a time to the glue, stirring after each addition until the mixture reaches the desired consistency.

3. Extra Materials for Making Different Types of Slime

Depending on if you want to add other ingredients to your slime, you can incorporate extras into the recipe. Use any of the following to change the recipe for a more colorful or creative slime:

• Glow-in-the-Dark Paint:   Adding glow in the dark paint — you need no more than   a six-ounce bottle for 100 portions   of slime — makes the slime glow in the dark.
• Food Coloring:   The most basic way to add color to slime requires adding a few drops of food coloring to the glue mixture.
• Fluorescent Markers:   Soak the fabric part of a fluorescent marker in water until it changes color. Replace the water in the recipe with this colored water for   the slime to glow when you shine a black light on it .

4. Other Supplies

Keep things neat while having fun. Have these supplies on hand to make the slime creation and cleanup faster and more enjoyable both during the process and after the fun is over.

• Disposable Paper Cups:   Give each kid a paper cup to mix their serving of slime in.
• Craft Sticks:   Wooden craft sticks are better than spoons for mixing because the square shape will make it easier for the kids to pull the finished slime off the stick. Also, these sticks are disposable, reducing the cleanup you must do after the experiment.
• Newspaper or Other Covering:   Cover the work area with newspapers or plastic sheeting to protect the surface.
• Gloves:   If kids have skin allergies, offer hypoallergenic gloves for them to use when kneading the slime.
• Resealable Plastic Sandwich Bags:   Keep the slime from drying out by storing it in sealed sandwich bags.

How to Make Slime

While making slime requires a handful of steps, this guide to slime includes numerous variations. These added parts of the process depend on whether you want to add extras to your product. In general, you’ll follow these four steps:

• Prepare the Glue:   Combine the parts of the glue mixture together. Add a few drops of glow-in-the-dark paint to the glue mixture if you want the product to glow.
• Mix the Borax:   Mix up the borax solution.
• Combine the Ingredients:   Slowly mix the borax a few drops at a time into the glue mixture while stirring. If you want food coloring, add it between drops of borax solution. Stop incorporating the borax when most of the mixture adheres to the stirrer. To make cleanup easier, use wooden craft sticks to stir.
• Knead the Slime:   Remove the slime from the stick and knead it thoroughly until it loses its stickiness.

Once you’ve finished making the slime, it’s time to have some fun with your experiment.

Have Fun With Your Slime

While this DIY slime guide mentions how to make standard slime, you can take that idea to the next level. These variations are great slime ideas for kids that you can use whenever you want an educational, creative activity:

• Fuzzy Slime:   Turn your   slime into a fuzzy creature   by mixing in hair from a pet.
• Glitter Slime:   Mix watercolors with the glue instead of water and add glitter to the slime when you mix in the borax. You’ll have a shimmery substance that’s as fun to play with as it is to look at.
• Glow-in-the-Dark Slime:   Adding glow-in-the-dark paint makes the slime shine when you turn out the lights.
• Fluorescent Slime:   Under a blacklight, fluorescent slime glows when you turn off all other lights.

Science Behind the Slime: Newtonian vs. Non-Newtonian Fluid

Slime comes from the chemistry of the bonds created when you mix the ingredients. The physical structure of the glue changes with the addition of the borax, making it stretchy and durable. With the combination of household ingredients, you can turn a Newtonian fluid into a non-Newtonian one.

Isaac Newton — yes, the gravity guy under the apple tree — did more than create the gravity formula. He also brought to science the description of fluids and how their pourability reacts to temperature changes. Newtonian fluids only change viscosity and pourability from temperature shifts, while non-Newtonian fluids change from other influences.

Fluids are things that flow. Those that flow like water and   change in viscosity compared to temperature   are Newtonian fluids. When you think of fluids, you probably think of water or juice, which are all Newtonian fluids. These respond to temperature changes by changing their viscosity, or how well they pour. Even things like syrup can be affected by temperature, which is why most people heat pancake syrup before using it. Heat makes the syrup thinner, or less viscous. If you refrigerate syrup, it becomes too thick to pour. This is because the cold temperature causes the syrup to become more viscous.

Meanwhile, non-Newtonian fluids   don’t change their pourability when heated or cooled . They need physical stress to cause them to thin or thicken. For instance, if you hit the base of a bottle of glue or stir it, the glue thins enough to pour. The fluid in your joints, synovial fluid, is a non-Newtonian fluid that thickens when under high amounts of stress. When you move a joint quickly or encounter an impact, the liquid thickens rapidly enough to create a cushion for your joints. In the absence of a sudden impact, the fluid is a thin coating that lubricates the joints’ movements.

Slime is a non-Newtonian fluid because it stretches easily when you slowly pull it, like Silly Putty. However, you can break it if you pull it quickly. The key to this action comes from the bridges the ions build between the long glue polymers.

What If You…?

Here’s the part where the kids get to be scientists. Encourage questions about changing the amounts of ingredients and ask the kids to predict what will happen. Have them experiment to see if their predictions were correct or not. This method is how science works. Scientists make educated guesses and then conduct experiments to see whether their ideas were right.

Here are three experiments you can consider trying with slime.

1. Change the Borax

The borax solution creates the bridges between the glue polymers. Reducing the borax will make the slime thinner. If you fail to put in enough borax, the slime will not form at all.

Putting in too much will make the slime too thick and unusable. The reason behind this lies in the ions. Too much borax creates too many bridges, which tighten the network of polymers too much. The polymers cannot stretch without breaking because they have too many connections between them.

Try using liquid starch instead of borax. See what happens to the result. Generally, you will need more liquid starch than borax. Some people find borax slime irritating to the skin. Liquid starch may be better for those with sensitive skin.

2. Adjust the Water Amount

With so few ingredients, you have a few ways to adjust the recipe. Changing the borax amount is one way to alter the slime. Another method involves changing how much water you use.

See what happens if you eliminate water from the recipe or increase the amount of water you use. Over time, the slime will dry out as the water naturally evaporates. This dehydration will cause the slime to no longer be as pliable as it   turns into a tough plasticky substance .

3. Conduct Experiments

Do a series of tests and observe what happens to the slime. Try out the following and note your observations. You can also sketch if you want to for each situation:

• Drop the Slime:   Try dropping the slime. Does the height make a difference? Does the result change if you let the slime fall from six inches compared to four feet?
• Squish the Slime:   Does squishing the slime as hard as you can change its properties? What happens to the slime? Does its shape stay after you let go, or does it return to its original form?
• Pull Apart the Slime:   Does the speed you pull the slime apart make a difference? What if you pull the slime apart slowly? Compare the results to if you tug at the slime as fast as you can.

Why Science Should Be Fun

Keeping science fun encourages kids of all ages to become curious about the world around them. Science education fosters a wonder about the world around them. Additionally, teaching them experimental techniques gets your kids to ask questions and test their hypotheses. Scientists all over the globe use the same method to create their experiments as you use to do the slime activity. Scientists call this form the scientific method, and it’s the heart of every scientific investigation.

This slime activity directly relates to the scientific method. Using this stricter method, you can even elevate this activity to older kids who may have already learned this method in school. Here’s how you can apply the slime activity to the scientific method:

• Purpose:   The purpose of the slime activity is to make and study slime.
• Hypothesis:   Your kids’ predictions for the slime are their hypotheses for the activity.
• Procedure:   The procedure is the experiment part. For the slime activity, this is when the kids make the slime and conduct their experiments with dropping, squishing and pulling apart the slime.
• Data:   When kids write down their observations, they collect data from the experiment.
• Analysis:   Analysis happens when the kids look over their results to see any consistent trends. Did everyone’s slime act the same?
• Conclusion:   Drawing conclusions happens when the kids find out if their predictions were right. If they were not correct in their hypotheses, why not? This step in the scientific method is also the part where the kids get to go over what they learned.

If you want your kid to get into STEM — science, technology, engineering and math — later in life, start exposing them to fun science at a young age. It’s never too early to get your kids interested in the world of science.

Keep the Science Fun Going

Fun science experiments like these slime ideas for kids don’t just have to happen once. Keep the kids excited and curious about the world around them with fun, educational activities. After-school clubs and summer camps make it easier for you to give your kids a nudge in the right direction.

If you live anywhere in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware or Maryland and have kids between 4 and 11, check out our   summer camps   and   after-school science clubs . Your kids will have fun with science, be safe after school or during the summer and learn something new at the same time. With so many choices for activities, why not let your kids do something they enjoy that they’ll also benefit from? That’s what we do at Science Explorers — we make learning fun!

Recent Posts

• How to Make a Rocket With a Bottle
• DIY Space-Themed Activities for Kids
• Science or Magic? Fun Science Magic Tricks for Kids
• 7 Best Ocean-Themed Educational Toys for Kids
• 4 Safe and Exciting Chemistry Experiments for Kids

Recent Comments

The Science of Slime

Slime is a liquid with an inconsistent viscosity

• Activities for Kids
• Chemical Laws
• Periodic Table
• Projects & Experiments
• Scientific Method
• Biochemistry
• Physical Chemistry
• Medical Chemistry
• Chemistry In Everyday Life
• Famous Chemists
• Abbreviations & Acronyms
• Weather & Climate
• Ph.D., Biomedical Sciences, University of Tennessee at Knoxville
• B.A., Physics and Mathematics, Hastings College

You know about slime . You've either made it as a science project or blown the natural version out of your nose. Do you know what makes slime different from a regular liquid? Here's a look at the science of what slime is, how it forms, and its special properties.

What Is Slime?

Slime flows like a liquid, but unlike familiar liquids (e.g., oil, water), its ability to flow, or viscosity , is not constant. So it's a fluid, but not a regular liquid. Scientists call a material that changes viscosity a non-Newtonian fluid. The technical explanation is that slime is a fluid that changes its ability to resist deformation according to shear or tensile stress.

What this means is, when you pour slime or let it ooze through your fingers, it has a low viscosity and flows like a thick liquid. When you squeeze a non-Newtonian slime, like oobleck, or pound it with your fist, it feels hard, like a wet solid. This is because applying stress squeezes the particles in the slime together, making it hard for them to slide against each other.

Most types of slime are also examples of polymers . Polymers are molecules made by linking together chains of subunits.

A natural form of slime is mucous, which consists mainly of water, the glycoprotein mucin, and salts. Water is the main ingredient in some types of human-made slime, too. The classic science project slime recipe mixes glue, borax, and water. Oobleck is a mixture of starch and water.

Other types of slime are mainly oils rather than water. Examples include Silly Putty and electroactive slime .

How It Works

The specifics of how a type of slime works depends on its chemical composition, but the basic explanation is that chemicals are mixed to form polymers. The polymers act as a net, with molecules sliding against each other.

For a specific example, consider the chemical reactions that produce classic glue-and-borax slime:

• Two solutions are combined to make classic slime. One is diluted school glue, or polyvinyl alcohol in water. The other solution is borax (Na 2 B 4 O 7 .10H 2 O) in water.
• Borax dissolves in water into sodium ions, Na + , and tetraborate ions.
• The tetraborate ions react with water to produce the OH - ion and boric acid: B 4 O 7 2- (aq) + 7 H 2 O <—> 4 H 3 BO 3 (aq) + 2 OH - (aq)
• Boric acid reacts with water to form borate ions: H 3 BO 3 (aq) + 2 H 2 O <— > B(OH) 4 - (aq) + H 3 O + (aq)
• Hydrogen bonds form between the borate ion and the OH groups of the polyvinyl alcohol molecules from the glue, linking them together to form a new polymer: slime.

The cross-linked polyvinyl alcohol traps a lot of water, so slime is wet. You can adjust the consistency of slime by controlling the ratio of glue to borax. If you have an excess of diluted glue compared with a borax solution, you'll limit the number of cross-links that can form and get a more fluid slime. You can also adjust the recipe by limiting the amount of water that you use. For example, you could mix the borax solution directly with glue, producing a very stiff slime.

• How to Make Slime, Classic Recipe
• How to Make Slime with Borax and White Glue
• Frequently Asked Questions About Slime
• Make Mood Ring Color Change Slime
• Radioactive-Looking Slime
• How to Make Glow in the Dark Slime
• How to Make Floam
• How Oobleck Works
• Silly Putty History and Chemistry
• Easy To Make Glitter Slime
• 18+ Slime Recipes
• Borax-Free Slime Recipes
• How to Make Oobleck Slime
• How to Make a Bouncing Polymer Ball
• Kinetic Sand Recipe
• What Is Borax and How Is It Used?

Get Your ALL ACCESS Shop Pass here →

Slime Science Fair Project

Everyone wants to make slime these days! Did you also know that making slime is awesome science too. If you want your kids to get more out of their slime making experience, turn it into a slime science project and apply the science method too! Read on to find out how you can set up science experiments with slime and have a cool science fair project idea.

How To Make Slime

Homemade slime is a real treat for kids, and right now it’s a super popular activity that also happens to make a great science fair project. We have experimented with our slime recipes over and over again to bring you the best possible activities!

We also have a very cool fizzing slime recipe, watch the video and get the slime recipe here . Two chemistry demonstrations in one!

Which Slime Recipe To Use?

Our easy, “how to make” slime recipes show you how to master slime in 5 minutes or less! We have spent years tinkering with our favorite basic slime recipes to make sure you can make the BEST slime every time!

We believe slime shouldn’t be disappointing or frustrating! That’s why we want to take the guesswork out of making slime!

• Discover the best slime ingredients and get the right slime supplies the first time!
• Make easy slime recipes that really work!
• Achieve awesome slimy consistency the kids’ love!

We have several basic slime recipes that can all be used for your slime science project. You decide which one works best for you depending on what slime activator you want to use. This allows for some flexibility depending on where you live in the world! Not everyone has access to the same ingredients!

Each of the basic slime recipes below have the full step by step photos, directions, and even videos to help you along the way!

• Saline Solution Slime Recipe
• Borax Slime Recipe
• Liquid Starch Slime Recipe
• Fluffy Slime Recipe

Helpful Slime Making Resources To Get Your Started

These are the best resources to look through before, during, and after making slime! We talk more about slime science below too.

• Slime Activator List
• What is slime?
• What You Need To Make Slime
• Amazing Benefits Of Playing With Slime
• Best Slime Ideas
• How To Make Slime Less Sticky
• How To Get Slime Out Of Clothes And Hair

The Science of Slime

Chemistry is all about states of matter including liquids, solids, and gasses. It is all about the way different materials are put together, and how they are made up including atoms and molecules. Chemistry is how materials act under different conditions and/or form new substances. Just like slime!

Slime is an endothermic reaction as opposed to an exothermic reaction. An endothermic reaction absorbs energy (heat) instead of giving off energy (heat). Have you ever noticed how cold your slime gets?

The borate ions in the slime activator (sodium borate, borax powder, or boric acid) mix with the PVA (polyvinyl acetate) glue and form this cool stretchy substance. This is called cross-linking!

The glue is a polymer and is made up of long, repeating, and identical strands or molecules. These molecules flow past one another keeping the glue in a liquid state. Until…

You add the borate ions to the mixture,  and it then starts to connect these long strands together. They begin to tangle and mix until the substance is less like the liquid you started with and thicker and rubbery like slime! Slime is a polymer.

Picture the difference between wet spaghetti and leftover spaghetti the next day. As the slime forms, the tangled molecule strands are much like the clump of spaghetti!

Is slime a liquid or solid?

We call it a non-Newtonian fluid because it’s a little bit of both! Experiment with making slime more or less viscous with varying amounts of foam beads. Can you change the density?

Using The Scientific Method 

To take your slime making activity from a science demonstration to a slime science experiment, you will want to apply the scientific method. You can read more about using the scientific method with kids here .

Follow this process…

• Figure out a question you want to answer.
• Do some research.
• Gather the supplies.
• Conduct a science experiment.
• Gather data and look at the results.
• Draw your own conclusions and see if you answered your question!

Remember the key to conducting a good science experiment is to only have one variable. For example, water could be a variable. We eliminated the water from our recipe to see if slime needs water as an ingredient. We kept the rest of the recipe exactly the same!

Read more about using variables in science here.

Turn It Into A Science Project

Science projects are an excellent tool for older kiddos to show what they know about science! Plus, they can be used in all sorts of environments including classrooms, homeschool, and groups.

Kids can take everything they have learned about using the scientific method , stating a hypothesis, choosing variables , making observations and analyzing and presenting data.

Want to turn one of these experiments into an awesome science fair project? Check out these helpful resources.

• Science Project Tips From A Teacher
• Science Fair Board Ideas
• Easy Science Fair Projects

Get your FREE printable slime recipe cards!

Slime Science Project Ideas

Can you make your slime more sticky…less sticky…more firm…less firm…thicker…looser??

A good science fair project starts with a good question. We put together a list of ideas for slime science experiments.

TIP: If you haven’t tried out making the slime recipes above already, I recommend that you learn how to make slime first!

1. Do you need water to make slime?  

This was a super fun experiment we tried out and the results were pretty cool! We tested and compared three different slime recipes, but you could do it with just one type of slime and see what happens.

Hint… Liquid starch slime without water is no fun! Try this borax slime recipe or saline solution slime instead if you are just going to pick one recipe.

2. Are All Brands Of PVA Washable School Glue The Same?

This is a great opportunity to test the classic Elmer’s Washable School Glue alongside Dollar Store/Staples brand glue or even Crayola Glue!

The key to this slime science project is to decide how you will compare the different batches of slime made from each brand of glue.

Of course, keep your recipe and method for making your slime the same each time. Think about what makes a good slime… stretch and viscosity or flow and decide how you will measure those characteristics for each slime. Your observations of the “feel” of each slime are valid data as well.

3. What happens if you change the amount of glue in the recipe?

We tried out this slime science experiment using our classic liquid starch slime recipe . This is also how we ended up with FLUBBER !

Decide how you will vary the amount of glue. For example; you could do one batch with the normal amount of glue, twice the amount of glue, and half the amount of glue.

4. What happens if you change the amount of baking soda?

Similarly, to changing the amount of glue, investigate what happens to your slime when you change the amount of baking soda added to the saline solution slime   or fluffy slime recipe, Do a batch without baking soda and one with and compare. Baking soda is generally used to firm up this slime recipe.

 5. B orax Free Slime Experiment

What’s the best ratio of powder to water for a borax free fiber slime? Use our taste safe fiber slime recipe to test your favorite consistency for gooey slime.

We went through several batches to see what worked the best. Make sure to decide ahead of time how you will measure the slime consistency for each batch.

6. What amount of foam beads makes the best floam?

What’s the best amount of styrofoam beads for homemade floam?    This is how we tested our floam and recorded the results as we went along. Or you can vary and then compare the sizes of styrofoam beads too!

More Slime Science Projects

What else can you test when it comes to your next slime project? What about…

Clear Glue vs White Glue

Which glue makes the better slime? Use the same recipe for both and compare/contrast the similarities/differences. Does one recipe work better for either clear or white glue?

Does food coloring affect the consistency of slime?

Do different colors have an effect on the consistency of the slime. You can use the standard box of colors, red, blue, yellow, and green to see! Make sure to use all the colors with one batch of slime!

What happens if you freeze slime?

Is slime affected by temperature? What happens if you freeze your slime?

Come up with your own slime experiment!

Try out your own slime science experiment. However, we do not recommend substituting slime activators without knowing what the chemical reaction will be first.

You could…

• explore viscosity
• discover new textures
• learn about non-Newtonian fluids and shear thickening
• explore states of matter: liquids, solids, and gasses
• learn about mixtures and substances and physical properties

More Awesome Slime Recipes To Make

• Fluffy Slime
• Cloud Slime
• Rainbow Slime
• Magnetic Slime
• Glow in the Dark Slime
• Butter Slime

Printable Ultimate Slime Recipes Guide

This is the ULTIMATE collection of slime recipes  every kid wants to make! Explore the best recipes and find the right supplies to make slime time a breeze!

Perfect for kids of all ages , including tweens and teens! Taste-safe recipes are perfect for the youngest slime fans.

What’s Included:

• The Ultimate Slime Guide  contains all the specialty recipes you or your kids want to make! You’ll find all the best tips, tricks, hints, and slime-y info in almost 100 pages!
• The Ultimate Slime Holiday Guide  covers all the best holidays and seasons with special themes and slime-y projects!
• The Ultimate Borax-FREE and Taste-Safe Slime Guide  shows you how to make all the best borax-free, taste-safe, and non-toxic slimes kids love, such as marshmallow slime. These recipes do not use chemical activators such as saline solution, liquid starch, or borax powder, making them truly borax-free.
• The Ultimate Slime Coloring Book  is an easy-to-print coloring book kids will love! Color and design your favorite slimes!
• The Slime Starter Guide  is a fact-filled information guide with everything you need to know to make the best slime ever!
• Slime Science Project Pack  helps you turn slime-making into a science lesson!

13 Comments

• Pingback: 25 STEM Activities for Kids You Need to Know | Posh in Progress
• Pingback: Borax Slime for an Easy Slime and Science Activity with Kids

who is the author of this website?? i need to know for a science project

My name is Sarah McClelland.

Everything looks so pretty! I need some help, I can’t find sta-flo liquid starch in my country, I tried corn starch but its too thick,I tried niagara spray and liquid but won’t work either. I need it to be a flubber starch, with iron to do magnetic starch 😀 Any advice is welcome

What country are you in? Can you find saline solution containing boric acid and sodium borate?

Please email me at [email protected]

• Pingback: Crunchy Slime Recipe for Kids With Fishbowl Beads
• Pingback: Recommended Supplies for Making Slime with Kids
• Pingback: How To Make Slime Recipes with Elmers Glue for Kids Science
• Pingback: How To Make Slime Chemistry Activities for Kids Science

whenever i try make slime it never works and the first time i made a home made slime it was way too sticky and to make work we had to mix store bought slime in to make it activate

Well I am happy to help if you want to email me [email protected]

Comments are closed.

~ Projects to Try Now! ~

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

• View all journals
• My Account Login
• Explore content
• About the journal
• Publish with us
• Sign up for alerts
• Open access
• Published: 10 March 2022

Mechanical characterization and optical microscopy of homemade slime and the effect of some common household products

• Juveiriah M. Ashraf 1 ,
• Leia Nayfeh 2 &
• Ammar Nayfeh 1  

Scientific Reports volume  12 , Article number:  3953 ( 2022 ) Cite this article

3268 Accesses

1 Citations

5 Altmetric

Metrics details

• Gels and hydrogels
• Mechanical properties
• Polymer characterization

In this work, we demonstrate the synthesis of homemade slime and investigate how adding different household chemicals such as shaving cream and clay affects the chemical properties and hence the mechanical behavior. The purpose of this study is to instill scientific curiosity in young learners by establishing a relationship between a material’s chemical structure and its mechanical properties. Eight types of slime were studied: basic slime (borax with glue), slime with the addition of: (a) shaving cream, (b) clay, (c) shaving cream and clay together, (d) baking soda, (e) cornstarch, (f) hand soap, and (g) toothpaste. It was found that basic slime has a Young’s Modulus of 93 MPa while adding shaving cream and clay increased the modulus of elasticity to 194 and 224 MPa respectively. Adding thickening agents such as baking soda and corn starch increased the modulus to 118 and 110 MPa respectively while the incorporation of foaming agents, for example, hand soap and toothpaste rendered the sample very gelatinous. The Young’s modulus of samples C and D was the highest recorded and this is attributed to the presence of clay, which is relatively the stiffest material from the choice of additives used in this study. The results were supported by FT-IR spectroscopy which showcased the formation of different chemical structures of the slime with the added chemical agents.

Similar content being viewed by others

Facile preparation, characterization, and investigation of mechanical strength of Starchy NaCl-binder as a lightweight construction material

Ahmad Fahmi, Sohrab Rafati Zavaragh, … Ali Asghari

Mapping the mechanical properties of paintings via nanoindentation: a new approach for cultural heritage studies

Mathilde Tiennot, Erik Paardekam, … Erma Hermens

An improved plastination method for strengthening bamboo culms, without compromising biodegradability

Reeghan Osmond, Olivia H. Margoto, … Abbas S. Milani

Introduction

Commercial slime is popular among young children for fun and educational purposes, and it can also be useful in showcasing school students how mixing different substances can change the chemical nature and thus the elastic properties of materials. It can thus be a vital technique in developing analytical thinking in children with regards to the chemical bonding of materials at the microscale and how it is directly interlinked with the mechanical properties of a material (macroscale). Such studies can form the basis of developing hands-on scientific demonstrations which aid in students’ analysis and observation of chemical processes: from building a hypothesis to designing simple experimental methods, carrying out practical instigations, and finally making inferences from the results obtained. Students can also be exposed to the presence of microscopy techniques like scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and chemical characterization techniques such as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR).

Slime is a non-Newtonian fluid 1 , 2 , i.e., unlike Newtonian fluids whose viscosity remains unchanged when strain is applied, the viscosity of slime increases with applied temperature and pressure. More specifically, slime is a dilatant; under stress it undergoes shear thickening, and the material dilates/expands. Other examples in this class of materials are quicksand, printer’s ink, and starch solutions. When squeezed, slime exhibits flexibility since the cross-links between the polymers are able to break and form again quickly. However, if the same fluid is pulled apart suddenly, it will be ruptured. This unpredictable response of the material to applied strain makes it an interesting material to be studied for school-going children. Investigating its properties will allow students to discern the difference between Newtonian fluids such as water or honey and non-Newtonian fluids such as slime. They can also be compared to pseudoplastic fluids (also a type of non-Newtonian fluid) in which the viscosity increases with increasing strain applied. Examples of such fluids include paints, nail polish and tomato sauce.

The simplest slime is synthesized by mixing poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) with sodium tetraborate (borax), which is a salt of boric acid. The reaction between PVA and borax forms cross-links between polymer chains due to the creation of weak bonds to the OH groups of PVA 3 , 4 . The three-dimensional network polymers formed as a result lead to the viscoelastic nature of the fluid that gives slime its specific texture. The sodium tetraborate interlinks with the PVA through hydrogen bonds 5 or reversible covalent bonds 6 to form “di-diol” complexes, which constitute two diol units and one borate ion, yielding the gel-like material. The linkage is proposed to be of two types: (a) where the linkage between diols and borate ions is based on both, a physical and chemical nature 7 and (b) where only a chemical bond exists in the form of cross-links between PVA polymers and borate ions 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 . Few studies have researched the chemical nature of cross-linking borax with PVA 10 , the effect of employing salts for coagulating slime 1 , and explained the phenomena of polymeric binding using slime 2 . To the best of our knowledge, however, no study has been done on determining the mechanical properties of homemade slime along with interlinking it to its chemical nature. In this work, we analyze homemade slime using optical imaging, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and mechanical characterization techniques to evaluate the bonding and elastic properties of slime and investigate the effect of adding some common household materials.

Synthesis of slime

The slime was prepared in four ways: baseline (A), baseline with shaving cream (B), baseline with clay (C) and baseline with shaving cream and clay (D). The baseline was made by combining a mixture of 250 mL of liquid school glue (which is an emulsion of poly(vinyl acetate) (PVAc)), poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), and propylene glycol) and 250 mL water with a mixture of 4.2 g sodium tetraborate, Na 2 [B 4 O 5 (OH) 4 ]·8H 2 O (borax powder) with 800 mL water which was prepared in a separate bowl. The borax was added in part (8 increments) and mixed using a mixing tool, the slime becoming stiffer with each addition (step 1). Both mixtures were kneaded well until the slime was formed. To the baseline, 53 mg of shaving cream (SC), (mainly water, stearic acid, and lanolin) was added to make mixture B. Mixture C was prepared by adding 23 g of kid’s modelling clay (green) to the baseline while mixture D was made by mixing shaving cream and clay to the baseline in the same amounts as in mixture B and C. Samples E, F and G and H were prepared by adding 6 g of each: baking soda and corn flour, foaming handwash and toothpaste to the baseline slime respectively. Additional borax solution was added to make the samples ready for mechanical testing (step 2 for adding borax). 20 mg mL −1 concentration borax solution was prepared and 20 mL of this was added to all samples. For the mass measurements, an electronic kitchen scale is used with a precision of ± 1 g while for the volume measurements of 800 mL and 10 mL, laboratory beakers are employed that have a precision of ± 100 mL and ± 5 mL respectively. Figure 1 a illustrates the step-by-step process to synthesize slime, b depicts the formation of slime by the addition of borax and c shows the process flow to make eight different types of slime. This a simple framework for making slime, with a lot of room for innovation; the recipe can be modified as needed with different household products as are desired to be studied.

( a ) Step-by-step process to make slime, ( b ) intermediate steps showing how adding borax leads to stiffening of slime, and ( c ) process flow to make eight different types of slime.

Characterization

The slimes were tested by scanning electron microscopy and optical microscopy to observe the internal structure of the specimens and mechanical testing to evaluate the elastic modulus. For the optical microscope images, a clear distinction is seen between samples A and B vs. C and D. The latter two samples appear green due to the presence of clay in the specimens. The images showed samples C and D (with added clay) to have larger bubbles which may be due to high water-absorbing and moisture-retention capabilities of clay while samples A and B appear to have slightly smoother surface at the microscale (see Fig.  2 ). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images (taken via Quanta 250 ESEM) taken with a spot size of 2.5 and a voltage of 2.00 kV are shown in Fig.  3 which depict the slime samples at higher magnifications (approximately 10,000×). These can help students perceive how gel-like materials appear on the microscale compared to the conventional optical microscope, and students can observe the formation of bubbles for hygroscopic (water-absorbing) materials like slime. Scanning electron microscopy can also determine the density of bubbles in the sample. Sample A and B has smaller bubbles while sample C has coalesced bubbles. Moreover, we notice that specimen D has less bubbles. This could be related to the change of hygroscopic nature of the samples once the clay added. The slime images under the SEM look similar due to the operating conditions of the microscope, i.e., high vacuum under which formation of bubbles appear, which makes it difficult to discern between the bubbles in specimen versus the bubbles formed due to low pressure in the microscope. Nevertheless, optical microscopy and SEM images can be observed by elementary students to better understand the nature of slime at different microscopic levels and inculcate the importance of using different characterization techniques in materials science.

Optical microscopy images for: ( a ) baseline (Sample A), ( b ) baseline and shaving cream (Sample B), ( c ) baseline with clay (Sample C), and ( d ) baseline with shaving cream and clay (sample D).

SEM images of samples A–D at a magnification of around × 10,000.

To determine the presence of functional groups, FT-IR spectra for wavenumbers from 460 to 4000 cm −1 were taken for the samples using the Bruker Vertex 80v FT-IR spectrometer (Fig.  4 ). For the test, a small amount of the specimen is taken by spatula and placed over the IR-ATR source point then irradiated to get the FT-IR spectra. Samples require blending with potassium bromide (KBr) by 1:99 ratio. In simple terms, every material on earth absorbs light which is not detectable by naked eye. Here, FT-IR can be used to bring to the students’ attention the importance of using such instruments capable of detecting the absorbance/transmission of light of different materials with respect to their functional groups. The cross-linking between the PVA hydroxyl groups and borax induce the formation of ester groups which are validated by the bending of B–O–B linkages within borate networks, for which the representative FT-IR peak around 597 cm −1 is clearly seen in Fig.  4 12 . The sharp peaks at 3315 cm −1 were detected due to the presence of O–H stretching vibration—an indication of unreacted OH 13 , (but is slightly broadened here due to the H bonding interaction). It is difficult to discern the difference in IR absorption from C–H (hydrogen) bonding as it is not only present in PVA, but also in the starch of clay and stearic acid of shaving cream. The functional groups arising from the borate ions are present in all samples. The tetrahedral BO 4 group produces a peak at approximately 1377 cm −1 while the asymmetric stretching relaxation around 1432 cm −1 of B–O–C (from the BO 3 trigonal group) 13 . An interesting change in the FT-IR spectrum is observed after adding baking soda (sample E); different peaks appear are detected, specifically at 948, 1025 (independent peak of NaHCO 3 ), 1117, 1240, 1373, and 1436 (analytical peak of Na 2 CO 3 ) cm −1 . Although it is be expected that the other additions, for example, toothpaste (which contains high amount of fluoride), hand soap or cornstarch to also show a discrete pattern in the spectrum, no significant variation is observed, and here we suggest the use of other material characterization techniques such as Raman and X-ray diffraction (XRD) to be used to get an elaborate description with regards to the chemical bonding and crystallinity of the samples respectively.

FT-IR spectra obtained for samples A–H.

Mechanical testing was carried out using the Instron 5940 Universal Testing System. The size of samples used in mechanical compression was approximately 2 cm × 1 cm × 1 cm. The load of the displacement control is performed at a rate of 0.3 mm min −1 (or 0.005 mm s −1 ). Samples were placed in the center to ensure uniform loading. The static loading of the samples was carried out using a 2 kN load cell and the stress–strain curves were produced in real-time by the Instron Bluehill 3 software. The mechanical compression test works by applying compressive pressure on a cuboid sample which results in stress–strain diagrams being produced for the specimen. The elastic modulus is calculated by dividing the stress (which is force over area) by the strain (the change in length over the original length). From the test, different material properties can be calculated such as elastic limit, proportional limit, yield point, yield strength, and, for some materials, compressive strength. Below is an image of a specimen ready for compression testing (Fig.  5 ).

A slime specimen (sample C) ready for mechanical compressive tests.

Mechanical testing results proved the high elasticity of the slime samples: specimen A had an elastic modulus of 93 MPa while adding shaving cream (specimen B) increased the modulus to 194 MPa. As is known, a higher elastic modulus signifies a stiffer material, i.e., it stretches less when pulled and vice versa, thus the addition of shaving cream decreases the elasticity of the slime samples. Similarly, incorporating clay with into the baseline (specimen B) also decreased the flexibility of the slime (increasing the Young Modulus by more than twice to 224 MPa), making it more manageable and keep its shape after deforming. Consequently, adding both clay and shaving cream also resulted in an overall stiffer material with an elastic modulus of 229 MPa. Moreover, samples E and F were also tested. It was found that adding baking soda (sample E) also increased the modulus to 118 MPa while adding corn starch (sample F) increased it to 110 MPa. It is evident from these 2 samples that the slime becomes stiffer on adding cornstarch and baking soda, which are in fact used in food as thickening agents. The stress–strain curves are represented below in Fig.  6 .

Stress–strain curves of samples A–F.

Here it is crucial to mention that the samples G and H (with hand soap and toothpaste additives respectively) could not be tested for their mechanical properties due to their highly gelatinous nature. This could perhaps be attributed to the combination of foaming and surfactant agents added to soaps and toothpaste which lead to the slime’s inability to hold shape. This is an important observation in the slime study and could bring to the students’ attention the distinct nature of thickening agents such as corn starch and baking soda as well as cleaning agents (such as soap and toothpaste). This activity is vital to direct students to make connections with existing data to what they already know. Another inference that can be made is that the Young’s modulus of samples C and D still remain the highest due to the addition of clay which is relatively the stiffest material from the choice of additives used in this study. To summarize, the Young’s Modulus is a measure of the interatomic bond force, i.e., the stronger the atomic bonding is, the larger the Young’s Modulus 14 , 15 . When different chemicals are added, the bonds (as observed in some cases by the FT-IR spectra) between the material changes and hence causes a shift in the elastic modulus and consequently the stretchability of the samples.

Additional information

Different colored clay was added to enhance the visual appeal of slime as is seen in Fig.  7 below. Clay was used as opposed to traditional food coloring for a stronger consistency and to maintain the texture and mechanical properties of the slime as have been studied above.

Adding colored clay to make different colored slime.

In terms of education, we propose slime kits that can be prepared for younger students with the ingredients and supplies to synthesize slime and an easy-to-follow instruction manual which would facilitate the learning process. The slime kit would include: liquid school glue, borax, a beaker for measuring, a spatula for mixing, small containers to store the slime, gloves and safety goggles and an instruction manual. A few items of the slime kit are showcased below in Fig.  8 . This would allow students to investigate by adding different products at home or school and observe the physical effect on slime. The use of borax can cause serious eye irritation while swallowing larger amounts may cause gastrointestinal symptoms such as abdominal discomfort, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea. It is important thus to monitor children below the age of 12 while such experiments are being carried out and the wear of gloves is necessary during handling.

Slime kit for kids: ingredients and supplies.

To summarize, the mechanical properties of eight types of slime were studied by adding different chemicals to baseline slime and interlinked with their chemical characteristics for educational purposes. The samples were also studied under optical and scanning electron microscopy to help students visualize the material at the microscale. It was found that base slime has a good elasticity with a Young’s Modulus of 93 MPa while adding shaving cream and clay increased the stretchability with Young’s Modulus to 194 and 224 MPa respectively. Adding thickeners such as baking soda and corn starch increased the modulus to 118 and 110 MPa respectively while the integrating foaming agents (hand soap and toothpaste) resulted in gelatinous samples. We believe that studying this material will be interesting for students to identify different properties of materials on a fundamental level, induce the application of new skills and concepts, and encourage students of applying alternative scientific explanations.

Data availability

The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Schreck, J. O. & Katz, D. A. A bag of slime. J. Chem. Educ. 71 (10), 891–892 (1994).

Article   Google Scholar  

Rohrig, B. B. The science of slime! In ChemMatters (ed. Rohrig, B. B.) 13–16 (American Chemical Society, 2004).

Google Scholar  

Isokawa, N., Fueda, K., Miyagawa, K. & Kanno, K. Demonstration of the coagulation and diffusion of homemade slime prepared under acidic conditions without borate. J. Chem. Educ. 92 (11), 1886–1888. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.5b00272 (2015).

Article   CAS   Google Scholar  

Sarquis, A. M. Dramatization of polymeric bonding using slime. J. Chem. Educ. 63 (1), 60–61. https://doi.org/10.1021/ed063p60 (1986).

Casassa, E. Z., Sarquis, A. M. & Van Dyke, C. H. The gelation of polyvinyl alcohol with borax: A novel class participation experiment involving the preparation and properties of a “slime”. J. Chem. Educ. 63 (1), 57. https://doi.org/10.1021/ed063p57 (1986).

Shibayama, M., Sato, M., Kimura, Y., Fujiwara, H. & Nomura, S. 11B n.m.r. study on the reaction of poly(vinyl alcohol) with boric acid. Polymer (Guildf.) 29 (2), 336–340. https://doi.org/10.1016/0032-3861(88)90343-6 (1988).

Shibayama, M., Hiroyuki, Y., Hidenobu, K., Hiroshi, F. & Shunji, N. Sol-gel transition of poly(vinyl alcohol)-borate complex. Polymer (Guildf.) 29 (11), 2066–2071. https://doi.org/10.1016/0032-3861(88)90182-6 (1988).

Riedo, C., Caldera, F., Poli, T. & Chiantore, O. Poly(vinylalcohol)-borate hydrogels with improved features for the cleaning of cultural heritage surfaces. Herit. Sci. 3 (1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40494-015-0053-2 (2015).

Cheng, A. T. Y. & Rodriguez, F. Mechanical properties of borate crosslinked poly(vinyl alcohol) gels. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 26 (11), 3895–3908. https://doi.org/10.1002/app.1981.070261134 (1981).

Davis, H. B. & Mott, C. J. B. Interaction of boric acid and borates with carbohydrates and related substances. J. Chem. Soc. Faraday Trans. I 76 , 1991–2002. https://doi.org/10.1039/F19807601991 (1980).

Pezron, E., Leibler, L. & Lafuma, F. Complex formation in polymer-ion solutions. 2. Polyelectrolyte effects. Macromolecules 22 (6), 2656–2662. https://doi.org/10.1021/ma00196a021 (1989).

Article   ADS   CAS   Google Scholar  

Al-Emam, E., Soenen, H., Caen, J. & Janssens, K. Characterization of polyvinyl alcohol-borax/agarose (PVA-B/AG) double network hydrogel utilized for the cleaning of works of art. Herit. Sci. 8 (1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40494-020-00447-3 (2020).

Dave, H. K. & Nath, K. Synthesis, characterization and application of disodium tetraborate cross-linked polyvinyl alcohol membranes for pervaporation dehydration of ethylene glycol. Acta Chim. Slov. 65 , 902–918. https://doi.org/10.17344/acsi.2018.4581 (2018).

Article   CAS   PubMed   Google Scholar  

Zherebtsov, S., Semenova, I. P., Garbacz, H. & Motyka, M. Chapter 6—Advanced mechanical properties. In Nanocrystalline Titanium, Micro and Nano Technologies (eds Garbacz, H. et al. ) 103–121 (Elsevier, 2019).

Chapter   Google Scholar  

Jin, Q., Li, T., Zhou, P. & Wang, Y. Mechanical researches on Young’s modulus of SCS nanostructures. J. Nanomater. 2009 , 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1155/2009/319842 (2009).

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors would also like to acknowledge Mr. Hassan Ahmed Hussein and Ms. Nevin Thunduvila Mathew for their help in carrying out the FT-IR measurements.

Author information

Authors and affiliations.

Khalifa University, Abu Dubai, 127788, UAE

Juveiriah M. Ashraf & Ammar Nayfeh

Dunecrest American School, Dubai, UAE

Leia Nayfeh

You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

Contributions

J.M.A. tested the samples via mechanical compression tests, SEM, optical microscopy, FT-IR, analyzed the results, and wrote the manuscript, L.N. made the samples and A.N. helped in analyzing the results and reviewed the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ammar Nayfeh .

Ethics declarations

Competing interests.

The authors declare no competing interests.

Publisher's note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ .

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article.

Ashraf, J.M., Nayfeh, L. & Nayfeh, A. Mechanical characterization and optical microscopy of homemade slime and the effect of some common household products. Sci Rep 12 , 3953 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-07949-z

Download citation

Received : 29 August 2021

Accepted : 28 February 2022

Published : 10 March 2022

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-07949-z

Share this article

Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:

Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.

Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines . If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Quick links

• Explore articles by subject
• Guide to authors
• Editorial policies

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

• Our Passion
• Science Fair Position Statement
• Newsletter Signup
• Diverse STEM Stories: Choosing a STEM path- Teachers
• Diverse STEM Stories Library
• STEM Curriculum Package: 4-project series
• Programs Blog

Slimy Science! – Make it a project

• Slimy Science! – Make it…

Who doesn’t like slime? You’ll love making it and playing with it! Create a creative and fun Science Fair project out of your fascination with slime. Along the way, learn what it’s like to be a scientist!

What is slime.

There are a lot of different ways to describe different slimes – some alive, some sticky, some gooey, some slippery, and some just plain gross! Slime often results from either a chemical reaction or biological activity. Yep, there is a lot of science behind slime!

Can you believe that “slime” is actually a term that scientists use? For example, biologists have classified hundreds of different species of slime molds and many different species of slime bacteria . Individual slime mold and slime bacterium are so small that you usually can’t see one. But together they can form a big mass or mound (blob) of slime working together as a community for a specific purpose. Smart, huh?

Explore: What slime have you seen? What can you learn about the difference in slime types? What is some of the science behind slime?  Want to learn more? Search the internet for:

• Spongebob Squarepants slime mold
• Scrambled Eggs slime mold
• Dog vomit slime mold
• Hagfish Slime
• Glowworm glue

Common homemade slime ingredients

• White school glue  – makes slime hold together
• Corn starch  – makes slime less sticky
• Contact lens solution or saline solution  – make slime more runny
• Borax/sodium borate (soap)*  – makes slime feel “wet”
• Shaving cream*  – makes slime fluffy
• Fun ingredients (colors, florescence, scents, glitters, etc.)  – makes more fun

*Can cause skin irritation, especially if it comes in contact with an open wound.

Explore: Chemically or physically, how do each of the common ingredients affect the slime properties? What other ingredients do you think you’d like to experiment with?

Simple homemade slime recipe.

• White school glue
• Measuring cups & spoons
• 2 Cups or jars
• Disposable stirrer (spoon or stick)

Directions:

• Mix 1/2 Cup water, 1/4 Cup white school glue, and “fun ingredients” in a cup or bowl.
• In a separate cup, add 3-5 Tablespoons of Borax to 1/4 cup water and stir or shake until fully dissolved.
• Mix small amounts (Tablespoons) of the Borax mixture to the glue/water mixture until you are happy with the consistency.
• Have fun! When done, store in zip bag

+ You can find Borax at most large grocery stores next to the laundry detergent.

Explore:  What did you learn or observe while you were making your slime? What “how” or “why” questions did you have while you were making your slime? Want to explore other slime recipes? Check out  https://www.wikihow.com/Make-Slime .

Now, think like a scientist.

Scientists make observations, ask a lot of questions, then try to find ways to answer those questions. Here are a few questions for you to try to ponder before starting your project:

• What did you observe while you were playing (pulling, touching, pouring, rolling, dropping etc.) with the slime?
• If there was one ingredient you’d like to experiment with changing, then what would it be?
• If there was one thing about the environment around your slime (temperature, surrounding liquid, exposure to air for certain periods of time, etc.), what would it be?
• How do you think changing one of the ingredients or the environment would cause a change to your observations about the slime?

Learn the science behind slime

Okay, you’ve gotten your hands dirty and have had a chance to make slime, play with it, and ask questions! Awesome! Slime is more than just a fun thing to play with and make. Just like everything around you, slime has A LOT of science behind it!

The science behind a topic is called its scientific principles or concepts. Now, it’s time to learn a little more about the science of slime by doing some background research. To do your background research, you can ask an expert, look in books or search the internet. Below are some scientific principles and concepts of slime that would be helpful for you to understand in order to plan your project. When searching the internet, include “kids” in your search to get age-appropriate information. For example, “kids molecule video”.

• Liquids, solids & gasses (Early Elementary School)
• Molecules (Late Elementary School)
• Molecular chain (Middle School)
• Polymers (examples of polymers are white glue, rubber, plastic and DNA) (Middle School)
• Viscosity (Middle School)
• Non-Newtonian Fluids (High School)

Now, be a scientist!

Inquiry science fair project.

If your science fair allows inquiry projects (or demonstrations), then try to answer “why” or “how” questions as part of your project. In your own words, describe the scientific concepts that you learned about and some of the things you observed or discovered. The purpose of an inquiry is to demonstrate what you learned, observed and discovered. Demonstrations are not the same as experiments. But hey, not every scientist is an experimentalist!

Experimental Science Fair Project

When you do an experiment, you choose one thing to change and try to understand the results of that change. This is called Cause and Effect. If your science fair only allows experimental projects that follow “The” Scientific Method, then follow these steps:

• After learning the science behind slime, decide on just one thing that you will change during your experiment and what you will measure. For example, maybe you change the amount or type of ingredient, the environment, timing and you measure the change in texture.
• Write a detailed experimental question that makes it clear what you will change.
• State your prediction as a result of a change that you make.
• Plan how you will set up your experiment, including necessary supplies.
• Determine the potential health and safety risks of doing your experiment.
• Write down a detailed procedure that you can use when doing your experiment.
• Collect and record your data and observations.
• Display your data in a table and graph.
• Look for trends in your data graph.
• Try to explain why your data or observations turned out the way they did.
• Share what you learned with others.
• Create a project board display – refer to Project Display Tips

If you’d like help during each step of your project, then check out Make Science Fair Fun® workbooks . Each of the 22 worksheets will help your child successfully develop their science & engineering skills!

© 2022 STEM World Publishing, Public Benefit Corporation, with permission.

Photo by  Erwan Hesry  on  Unsplash

Want to promote authentic STEM projects at your school?

Help us connect with your school district to donate our impactful programs to you and your school community, thank you to all our sponsors.

Supporting students at

In partnership with

Author:  wendy

Related posts.

Learn STEM by Doing (and having fun)!

How To Make Slime: The Ultimate Guide

MOMMMM!!  Can we make slime??  Pleeeease!!  If you have younger kids, you’ve probably heard this once or twice (or 3,037 times).  My reaction :  ugh .  Making slime isn’t always the cleanest activity and after many a slime “fail”, the kids were often let down.  BUT  making slime is a great STEM activity to teach kids about physics and chemistry concepts (check out our science behind slime experiment).  This guide will not only teach you how to make slime at home, it will walk through how to make slime step by step with recipes we’ve tested.  Let’s science!

*Please note this post contains affiliate links.  This does not cost you any extra money to purchase items; please see our affiliate disclosure for more information.

Who can make slime?  Age range: preschool and up (BUT SUPERVISE!)

Ok.  I’m setting a lower age range here for making slime at home.  Simply put, the little kids are going to want a piece of the action too.  However, like all STEM projects use your judgement and supervise especially with younger kids and especially when working with the different materials or reagents.  We also have a post about how to use slime as a science fair project complete with hypothesis and experiments to analyze over a weekend.  For the slime science fair project, 3 rd graders and up are more likely to grasp the concepts and work through the steps.

Backdrop:  what we’re going to do and why it’s cool

The ultimate guide to slime will help you learn how to make slime at home in a relatively easy manner.  Our favorite part:  the range of slime offerings.  We’ve tested the recipes in our “home” slime lab and lived through the Pinterest fails  so you don’t have to !  Finally, we stepped it up a notch (or tried to at least!) and found unique, peculiar recipes you won’t see elsewhere.  Everyone’s seen the posts about how to make slime with glue and Borax… but how about color-changing slime??  COOL!!  Our slime guide covers:

• Brief background on the science of slime – what makes slime so slimy
• “How to make slime” recipes – what you need (“materials”) and what you need to do step-by-step
• Slime tips – what our kids found challenging, what they liked and what does/doesn’t work

Intro to the Science of Slime

The  American Chemistry Society describes the science behind slime.  Essentially, glue consists of POLYMERS or long chains of molecules that glide along each other.  When Borax dissolves in water it acts on the glue polymers and locks them together – almost like tying logs together to make a raft.  This CHEMICAL REACTION between the Borax and glue creates slime and turns the solution from a sticky mess to a rubbery material (see our science behind slime experiment for more details).

How to Make Slime:  Demonstration

While step-by-step instructions work well for some, pictures also help a ton.  Check out our general how to make slime video below – which ties with the Regular Slime recipe .

How to Make Slime:  Basics

Ingredients vary depending on the recipe below, but the procedures follow the same format.  As always make sure kids are supervised , following the guides and making the products in a safe spot.  First, find a good location.  Some materials stain furniture, clothes and skin (e.g. food coloring).  If your kiddos have allergies or sensitive skin, take appropriate precautions.  Second, before making/following any recipe, also wash your hands to avoid getting dirt/germs in the material.

For all recipes in our Ultimate Guide, you need the following items:

• Mixing bowls, plastic cups
• Measuring cups, spoons
• Mixing sticks/popsicle sticks/wooden spoon
• Paper towels
• Bags/containers to hold slime after it’s been made

Finally, I’d recommend using secondhand containers/mixers or older things you don’t mind getting dinged up.  The local dollar store or garage sales offer great spots to source inexpensive tools (if you plan on making multiple batches).

The Recipes

Without further ado, the links below describe how to make slime…with a number of twists!

• Regular Slime:  How to make slime with glue and Borax
• Light it Up: How to make glow slime
• See Through Slime: How to make clear slime
• Time to Shine: How to make glitter slime

Change of Heart? How to make color-change slime

It’s sooo flufffyyy how to make fluffy slime, slime attraction:  how to make magnetic slime, regular slime: how to make slime with glue and borax.

This one got us started down the slime path!  We consider it a more traditional recipe that holds the most recognition and include a variation below to make colored slime.  While we’ve stuck with Elmer’s (no pun intended), could other brands work?  Sure!  That could ACTUALLY make for a great experiment!!!  Which brand of glue creates the stretchiest slime?

Materials / Process

• Elmer’s school glue – one bottle is ~8 ounces
• Borax laundry detergent ( this is an example – the dry powder form )
• Liquid food coloring ( only if you want a certain color)
• Prepare the Borax .   First, dissolve 1 tablespoon of Borax detergent in 1 cup of warm water.  Mix until everything disappears, then set the solution to the side – we won’t use it until we’ve mixed our glue/water solution in step #3.
• Prepare the glue .  Next, empty the bottle of glue into a mixing bowl or container.  Refill the glue container with water.  Swirl/shake the container to get the remaining glue off the sides and dump into the mixing bowl with the glue.
• OPTIONAL : When mixing the glue and water,  add food coloring drops to change color.  BE WARNED:  This can make for more mess/stains.
• Add Borax solution . At this point, you will want to add a little Borax solution (the one you prepared in the first step).  This is when you CROSSLINK the glue molecules…  it goes from sticky to gooey.  Again, mix like kneading bread dough.  Add more Borax (~1/8 cup) at a time and keep kneading until you get the consistency you like.
• Bag it . When you are done playing with it, put it in a Ziploc bag or container to keep it sealed and prevent it from “drying out”.

Light it up:  How to make glow slime

When I think about glow slime, my second thought:  Halloween!  There are TWO ways to make glow material.  Option 1 : use glow in the dark glue ( like this one from Elmer’s ) as your base ingredient.  These come in 5 ounce bottles so a little smaller than the regular school glue size.  Option 2 : add in a glow product.  While you can use glow powder or even glowing acrylic paint, the glow powder route makes the brightest slime in our experience.  Ultimately, working with glow glue is simply easier.

Option 1: glow glue

• Elmer’s Glow in the Dark Glue
• Borax laundry detergent
• Start with the Borax .  Prepare as described in the Regular Slime recipe.
• Add glue to your container .  Next, empty the glue into a mixing bowl.  Refill the glue container with water.  Swirl the container to get the remaining glue off the sides and dump into the mixing bowl.
• Mix the glue/water .  Before you begin, wash hands.  Then, start mixing the glue/water with your hands.  BE WARNED:  You will get messy. You want to knead it almost like you’re mixing bread dough, but the mixture will be very sticky.
• Add Borax solution . At this point, add a little Borax solution (prepared in the first step).  This will CROSSLINK the glue molecules…  It goes from sticky to gooey.  Again, keep mixing like kneading bread dough.  Add more Borax (~1/8 cup) at a time and keep kneading until you get the consistency you like.
• Bag it . When finished playing with your slime, put it in a Ziploc bag or container to keep it sealed and prevent it from “drying out”.

Option 2: glow alternative (powder, paint)

• Elmer’s school glue – standard, white glue

• Prepare Borax/water solution.    Prepare as described above in the Regular Slime recipe.
• Add glue to mixing bowl .  Next, add ~8 ounces of glue into a mixing bowl or container.  If you used a single container, rinse it with water.  Then, swirl/shake the container to get the remaining glue off the sides and dump into the mixing bowl with the glue.
• Add glow substance .   Next, add your powder or paint to the glue/water bowl.
• Mix slime .  Then, use a wooden spoon to mix.  Remember the mixture will be sticky.
• Add Borax solution to glue .  At this point, add a little Borax solution (the one you prepared in the first step).  This CROSSLINKS the glue molecules…  Mix like kneading bread dough.  As you mix, add more Borax (~1/8 cup) at a time and knead until you get the consistency you like.
• Bag it .  Finally, store slime in a Ziploc bag or container to keep sealed and prevent it from “drying out”.  One note – glow slime uses radiant energy (e.g. sun, lamp) to charge up so exposing it to light keeps the glow.

See Through: How to make clear slime

The easiest recipe (in our view) to make clear slime uses clear glue and Borax.  Be careful using alternative crosslinking agents as your slime may end up less clear than you think.  Lastly, if bubbles appear, be patient and let slime sit for a few days.  Most important, bubbles will disappear over time.

• Elmer’s clear glue – ( not the white stuff – see here )
• Setup Borax/crosslinking mix.    Prepare as described above in the Regular Slime recipe.
• Add glue, water to bowl .  Next, add about 1 cup of glue to a mixing bowl.  Then, add an equal amount of water.
• OPTIONAL:  If you want to add “extras”, like little glitter, sprinkles, pebbles, whatever, now is the time to do it.
• Add Borax solution . At this point, add a little Borax solution (the one you prepared in the first step).  This CROSSLINKS the glue molecules…  Next, mix the material like kneading bread dough.  As you mix, add more Borax (~1/8 cup) at a time and knead until you get the consistency you like.
• Bag it .  Time to play!  As you conclude, use a Ziploc container/bag to store your final product.

Time to Shine: How to make unicorn glitter slime

• Elmer’s colored glitter glue – ( usually comes in three pack of colors )
• Prepare the Borax solution .   Prepare as described above in the Regular Slime recipe.
• Add glue .  First, we use three separate containers to mix the glues separately.  Alternatively, mix all three together.  For each glue bottle poured into a mixing bowl, rinse that container with water (or use roughly the same volume of water).  Finally, pour the “rinse water” into the mixing bowl.

OPTIONAL:  If you want to add “extras”, like little additional glitter, sprinkles, pebbles, whatever, now is the time to do it.

• Add Borax solution . At this point, add a little of the Borax solution prepared in the first step.  This CROSSLINKS the glue molecules…  Mix like kneading bread dough.  As you mix, add more Borax (~1/8 cup) at a time and knead until you get the consistency you like.
• Bag it .  Time to play!  When finished, use a Ziploc container/bag to store.

For this experiment, you should note that the pigment will go from colored to clear at a temperature of ~88 degrees Fahrenheit.  Our best results came with using white glue and no extra coloring.  Finally, because the color change occurs when it is warm, make sure the pigment is COOL to start with so you can get the warmest color.  IDEA:  use a “cold” substance to cool your slime and see how quickly it resets!

EDIT:  Kits are available for purchase through Target and Walmart ; however, we have not tested this one.

• Elmer’s school glue – (just the white kind)
• Thermochromic pigment ( example of what we’ve used – others are likely similar )
• Prepare the Borax solution .   See steps above in the Regular Slime recipe.
• Add glue to mixing bowl .  First, pour ~8 ounces of glue into a mixing bowl, and add roughly the same volume of water to the bowl.
• Add thermochromic pigment.  You will use ~2-3 tablespoons of pigment, assuming you used ~8 ounces of glue in the first step.
• Mix glue/water .  First, wash your hands.  Once clean, start mixing the glue and water with your hands (like kneading bread dough).
• Bag it .  Time to play!  When finished, use a Ziploc container/bag to store the material.

Yes, I love Agnes from Despicable Me.  That’s why I can think of nothing better than including fluffy slime in our guide!  What makes it fluffy?  Well, the secret ingredient….  Barbasol.  Yup, foamy shaving cream.  While we’ve seen others have success with contact lens solution, for whatever reason, Borax is still our go-to crosslinking agent here.

• Elmer’s white glue
• Food coloring (to make it colorful)
• Foam shaving cream (don’t use gel; avoid scented)
• Glitter? (Agnes would approve we think!)
• Add shaving cream .  First, put 1 cup of shaving cream into a mixing bowl.
• Add color .  Then, just use a few drops, but color as you like (if you like).
• Add glue .  Next, add ~1 cup of glue to the mixing bowl.
• Bag it .  Lastly – Time to play!  When finished, use a Ziploc container/bag to store.  Please note as the shaving cream loses air, the slime will probably not hold together.  This is not a longer-term slime.

We wanted to make this one for a while but was.

• Iron Oxide Powder ( we’ve used this one )
• Disposable gloves (yea, it’s that messy)
• Prepare the Borax solution .   First, prepare as described in the Regular Slime recipe.
• Add glue, iron oxide powder to mixing bowl .  Next, add ~1 cup of glue to the mixing bowl.  Then, add a similar amount of water and add ~3 tablespoons of iron oxide powder.
• Mix .  After you wash your hands, mix the glue with a stirring spoon.
• Add Borax solution . At this point, add a little of the Borax solution prepared in the first step.  This CROSSLINKS the glue molecules…  Then, mix like kneading bread dough.  Use gloves if the mixture is too messy and as you mix, add Borax (~1/8 cup) at a time and knead until you get the consistency you like.  Finally, you can pat the slime dry with paper towel to absorb excess liquid.
• Bag it .  Time to play!  Use your magnet to try to move the finished product around.  Finally, when finished, use a Ziploc container/bag to store.

Failures We’ve Had:  Your Mileage May Vary

YouTube is literally coated with how to make slime fails – almost like they’re stuck there!  Ha!  Unsuccessful “how to” projects – Yup, we’ve had a few.  While we don’t detail all of them, next we share a few words of wisdom:

Examples of Fails

• Slime with only glue and water .  First off, you need a crosslinking agent. Without adding something that ties those glue molecules together, your likelihood of success won’t be high.
• Shaving cream, toothpaste slime fails .  This ended up a minty nightmare!  I still have that fresh mint smell on my hands.  Regardless, just avoid it.  I just saved you the cost of a toothpaste and shave can.  You’re welcome!
• No glue slime.   Not that this can’t work.  First, you need a polymer that will be crosslinked to make slime.  Just make sure the “no glue” approach includes a suitable polymer.  Our mileage has varied.
• My slime is brittle! ! Using too much Borax (or crosslinking agent)?  that’s no good, as your slime becomes crackly and breakable.  Be mindful as you mix and go slow.  Finally, you can always add a little more, but once it’s in there you can’t take it back.

Closing Thoughts

One night at dinner as we chatted about slime (strange dinner topic, I know), I was struck by a few comments the kids made:  “I’m not good at making slime”, “Mine didn’t work”.  Almost to the point where the kiddos would rather give up.  While the mom in me wanted to remind them we can’t just give up when things get challenging, it was the scientist in me that spoke up.

As a scientist, failure is a CONSTANT part of the job.

That sounds crazy, right?

Well, after more than a decade in the lab, I’ve had more experiments fail than I could ever count.  What’s most important is the troubleshooting that occurs after the failure and getting back in the lab again.  Should your slime not come together, or your experiment fails unexpectedly – never fear!  This can be a great teaching opportunity!  Finally, remember even if your experiments don’t work like planned, to keep the kiddos focused on the bigger picture and having fun .  Most importantly, please feel free to contact us to help you through the process.

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Notify me of follow-up comments by email.

Notify me of new posts by email.

• Most Recent
• Free Silly Handwriting
• Easy Sub Plans Template
• Sprinkle Topped Shop
• My TpT Shop
• Amazon Favorites
• Free Video Series

The Sprinkle Topped Teacher

Easy Slime Experiment for Kids – Scientific Method

Slime experiments. Every kid’s obsession.

I’m all about using what my class is interested in to create easy and more engaging lessons!

We were studying the scientific method, so I used slime as a way to reinforce the steps of the scientific method!

Teaching the Easy Slime Experiment for Kids

Before I told the students anything about the science lesson for the day (I wanted it to be a surprise), I wrote this question on the board.

“What happens when you combine water, borax, and glue together?”

After discussing as a class we created our hypothesis.

This is when I passed out the mini-books because I knew the cover would give it away. These are the mini-books we used!

Hint: This is also when my class lost their minds with excitement as they realized we were making slime.

The Slime Experiment:

I likes using these mini books because they really helped guide our learning and keep us from getting sidetracked.

We started by practicing following directions. Some years, I have made slime as a whole class and other years we made it in small groups.

It really just depends what your students need this school year.

We then practiced recording our observations. Something we focused on was creating accurate drawings and labels, just like real scientists.

My favorite part of these booklets is the last page where it discusses the science behind the experiment.

This was perfect because I didn’t have to spend researching how to make tie slime into our science standards!

Grab a copy of the Easy Slime Experiment for Kids – Scientific Method Booklet HERE!

Teacher Tip for Slime:

You can use any color food coloring to make it fit a certain theme! For example use orange around Halloween or green around St. Patrick’s Day!

If it’s nice out, you can make slime outside!

There are also different recipes for slime. Feel free to use any of the recipes with this booklet.

You can also check out another of our favorite marshmallow toothpick STEM activities that have a scientific method booklet!

Conclusion:

Whenever kids are excited about something, it’s always a great idea to tie it into a lesson! The added engagement and excitement, make learning tough standards a lot easier for kids!

The slime experiment for kids is such a fun way to introduce or reinforce the scientific method to kids!

Ps. If you want to grab a Bundle of 7 Easy Science Experiments , you can find those HERE! As a thank you for reading the blog, I’ve added a 10% off code for you! Use Code: THANKYOU

Have you ever made slime with your class?

Share this:

You may also like, free math facts worksheets that are actually fun, marshmallow stem activity – team building challenge, different ways teachers can use digital notebooks for google slides, fingerprint science project for kids, how to create and assignment in google classroom.

An official website of the United States government

The .gov means it’s official. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

The site is secure. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

• Publications
• Account settings

Preview improvements coming to the PMC website in October 2024. Learn More or Try it out now .

• Advanced Search
• Journal List
• Scientific Reports

Mechanical characterization and optical microscopy of homemade slime and the effect of some common household products

Juveiriah m. ashraf.

1 Khalifa University, Abu Dubai, 127788 UAE

Leia Nayfeh

2 Dunecrest American School, Dubai, UAE

Ammar Nayfeh

Associated data.

The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

In this work, we demonstrate the synthesis of homemade slime and investigate how adding different household chemicals such as shaving cream and clay affects the chemical properties and hence the mechanical behavior. The purpose of this study is to instill scientific curiosity in young learners by establishing a relationship between a material’s chemical structure and its mechanical properties. Eight types of slime were studied: basic slime (borax with glue), slime with the addition of: (a) shaving cream, (b) clay, (c) shaving cream and clay together, (d) baking soda, (e) cornstarch, (f) hand soap, and (g) toothpaste. It was found that basic slime has a Young’s Modulus of 93 MPa while adding shaving cream and clay increased the modulus of elasticity to 194 and 224 MPa respectively. Adding thickening agents such as baking soda and corn starch increased the modulus to 118 and 110 MPa respectively while the incorporation of foaming agents, for example, hand soap and toothpaste rendered the sample very gelatinous. The Young’s modulus of samples C and D was the highest recorded and this is attributed to the presence of clay, which is relatively the stiffest material from the choice of additives used in this study. The results were supported by FT-IR spectroscopy which showcased the formation of different chemical structures of the slime with the added chemical agents.

Introduction

Commercial slime is popular among young children for fun and educational purposes, and it can also be useful in showcasing school students how mixing different substances can change the chemical nature and thus the elastic properties of materials. It can thus be a vital technique in developing analytical thinking in children with regards to the chemical bonding of materials at the microscale and how it is directly interlinked with the mechanical properties of a material (macroscale). Such studies can form the basis of developing hands-on scientific demonstrations which aid in students’ analysis and observation of chemical processes: from building a hypothesis to designing simple experimental methods, carrying out practical instigations, and finally making inferences from the results obtained. Students can also be exposed to the presence of microscopy techniques like scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and chemical characterization techniques such as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR).

Slime is a non-Newtonian fluid 1 , 2 , i.e., unlike Newtonian fluids whose viscosity remains unchanged when strain is applied, the viscosity of slime increases with applied temperature and pressure. More specifically, slime is a dilatant; under stress it undergoes shear thickening, and the material dilates/expands. Other examples in this class of materials are quicksand, printer’s ink, and starch solutions. When squeezed, slime exhibits flexibility since the cross-links between the polymers are able to break and form again quickly. However, if the same fluid is pulled apart suddenly, it will be ruptured. This unpredictable response of the material to applied strain makes it an interesting material to be studied for school-going children. Investigating its properties will allow students to discern the difference between Newtonian fluids such as water or honey and non-Newtonian fluids such as slime. They can also be compared to pseudoplastic fluids (also a type of non-Newtonian fluid) in which the viscosity increases with increasing strain applied. Examples of such fluids include paints, nail polish and tomato sauce.

The simplest slime is synthesized by mixing poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) with sodium tetraborate (borax), which is a salt of boric acid. The reaction between PVA and borax forms cross-links between polymer chains due to the creation of weak bonds to the OH groups of PVA 3 , 4 . The three-dimensional network polymers formed as a result lead to the viscoelastic nature of the fluid that gives slime its specific texture. The sodium tetraborate interlinks with the PVA through hydrogen bonds 5 or reversible covalent bonds 6 to form “di-diol” complexes, which constitute two diol units and one borate ion, yielding the gel-like material. The linkage is proposed to be of two types: (a) where the linkage between diols and borate ions is based on both, a physical and chemical nature 7 and (b) where only a chemical bond exists in the form of cross-links between PVA polymers and borate ions 8 – 11 . Few studies have researched the chemical nature of cross-linking borax with PVA 10 , the effect of employing salts for coagulating slime 1 , and explained the phenomena of polymeric binding using slime 2 . To the best of our knowledge, however, no study has been done on determining the mechanical properties of homemade slime along with interlinking it to its chemical nature. In this work, we analyze homemade slime using optical imaging, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and mechanical characterization techniques to evaluate the bonding and elastic properties of slime and investigate the effect of adding some common household materials.

Synthesis of slime

The slime was prepared in four ways: baseline (A), baseline with shaving cream (B), baseline with clay (C) and baseline with shaving cream and clay (D). The baseline was made by combining a mixture of 250 mL of liquid school glue (which is an emulsion of poly(vinyl acetate) (PVAc)), poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), and propylene glycol) and 250 mL water with a mixture of 4.2 g sodium tetraborate, Na 2 [B 4 O 5 (OH) 4 ]·8H 2 O (borax powder) with 800 mL water which was prepared in a separate bowl. The borax was added in part (8 increments) and mixed using a mixing tool, the slime becoming stiffer with each addition (step 1). Both mixtures were kneaded well until the slime was formed. To the baseline, 53 mg of shaving cream (SC), (mainly water, stearic acid, and lanolin) was added to make mixture B. Mixture C was prepared by adding 23 g of kid’s modelling clay (green) to the baseline while mixture D was made by mixing shaving cream and clay to the baseline in the same amounts as in mixture B and C. Samples E, F and G and H were prepared by adding 6 g of each: baking soda and corn flour, foaming handwash and toothpaste to the baseline slime respectively. Additional borax solution was added to make the samples ready for mechanical testing (step 2 for adding borax). 20 mg mL −1 concentration borax solution was prepared and 20 mL of this was added to all samples. For the mass measurements, an electronic kitchen scale is used with a precision of ± 1 g while for the volume measurements of 800 mL and 10 mL, laboratory beakers are employed that have a precision of ± 100 mL and ± 5 mL respectively. Figure ​ Figure1a 1 a illustrates the step-by-step process to synthesize slime, b depicts the formation of slime by the addition of borax and c shows the process flow to make eight different types of slime. This a simple framework for making slime, with a lot of room for innovation; the recipe can be modified as needed with different household products as are desired to be studied.

( a ) Step-by-step process to make slime, ( b ) intermediate steps showing how adding borax leads to stiffening of slime, and ( c ) process flow to make eight different types of slime.

Characterization

The slimes were tested by scanning electron microscopy and optical microscopy to observe the internal structure of the specimens and mechanical testing to evaluate the elastic modulus. For the optical microscope images, a clear distinction is seen between samples A and B vs. C and D. The latter two samples appear green due to the presence of clay in the specimens. The images showed samples C and D (with added clay) to have larger bubbles which may be due to high water-absorbing and moisture-retention capabilities of clay while samples A and B appear to have slightly smoother surface at the microscale (see Fig.  2 ). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images (taken via Quanta 250 ESEM) taken with a spot size of 2.5 and a voltage of 2.00 kV are shown in Fig.  3 which depict the slime samples at higher magnifications (approximately 10,000×). These can help students perceive how gel-like materials appear on the microscale compared to the conventional optical microscope, and students can observe the formation of bubbles for hygroscopic (water-absorbing) materials like slime. Scanning electron microscopy can also determine the density of bubbles in the sample. Sample A and B has smaller bubbles while sample C has coalesced bubbles. Moreover, we notice that specimen D has less bubbles. This could be related to the change of hygroscopic nature of the samples once the clay added. The slime images under the SEM look similar due to the operating conditions of the microscope, i.e., high vacuum under which formation of bubbles appear, which makes it difficult to discern between the bubbles in specimen versus the bubbles formed due to low pressure in the microscope. Nevertheless, optical microscopy and SEM images can be observed by elementary students to better understand the nature of slime at different microscopic levels and inculcate the importance of using different characterization techniques in materials science.

Optical microscopy images for: ( a ) baseline (Sample A), ( b ) baseline and shaving cream (Sample B), ( c ) baseline with clay (Sample C), and ( d ) baseline with shaving cream and clay (sample D).

SEM images of samples A–D at a magnification of around × 10,000.

To determine the presence of functional groups, FT-IR spectra for wavenumbers from 460 to 4000 cm −1 were taken for the samples using the Bruker Vertex 80v FT-IR spectrometer (Fig.  4 ). For the test, a small amount of the specimen is taken by spatula and placed over the IR-ATR source point then irradiated to get the FT-IR spectra. Samples require blending with potassium bromide (KBr) by 1:99 ratio. In simple terms, every material on earth absorbs light which is not detectable by naked eye. Here, FT-IR can be used to bring to the students’ attention the importance of using such instruments capable of detecting the absorbance/transmission of light of different materials with respect to their functional groups. The cross-linking between the PVA hydroxyl groups and borax induce the formation of ester groups which are validated by the bending of B–O–B linkages within borate networks, for which the representative FT-IR peak around 597 cm −1 is clearly seen in Fig.  4 12 . The sharp peaks at 3315 cm −1 were detected due to the presence of O–H stretching vibration—an indication of unreacted OH 13 , (but is slightly broadened here due to the H bonding interaction). It is difficult to discern the difference in IR absorption from C–H (hydrogen) bonding as it is not only present in PVA, but also in the starch of clay and stearic acid of shaving cream. The functional groups arising from the borate ions are present in all samples. The tetrahedral BO 4 group produces a peak at approximately 1377 cm −1 while the asymmetric stretching relaxation around 1432 cm −1 of B–O–C (from the BO 3 trigonal group) 13 . An interesting change in the FT-IR spectrum is observed after adding baking soda (sample E); different peaks appear are detected, specifically at 948, 1025 (independent peak of NaHCO 3 ), 1117, 1240, 1373, and 1436 (analytical peak of Na 2 CO 3 ) cm −1 . Although it is be expected that the other additions, for example, toothpaste (which contains high amount of fluoride), hand soap or cornstarch to also show a discrete pattern in the spectrum, no significant variation is observed, and here we suggest the use of other material characterization techniques such as Raman and X-ray diffraction (XRD) to be used to get an elaborate description with regards to the chemical bonding and crystallinity of the samples respectively.

FT-IR spectra obtained for samples A–H.

Mechanical testing was carried out using the Instron 5940 Universal Testing System. The size of samples used in mechanical compression was approximately 2 cm × 1 cm × 1 cm. The load of the displacement control is performed at a rate of 0.3 mm min −1 (or 0.005 mm s −1 ). Samples were placed in the center to ensure uniform loading. The static loading of the samples was carried out using a 2 kN load cell and the stress–strain curves were produced in real-time by the Instron Bluehill 3 software. The mechanical compression test works by applying compressive pressure on a cuboid sample which results in stress–strain diagrams being produced for the specimen. The elastic modulus is calculated by dividing the stress (which is force over area) by the strain (the change in length over the original length). From the test, different material properties can be calculated such as elastic limit, proportional limit, yield point, yield strength, and, for some materials, compressive strength. Below is an image of a specimen ready for compression testing (Fig.  5 ).

A slime specimen (sample C) ready for mechanical compressive tests.

Mechanical testing results proved the high elasticity of the slime samples: specimen A had an elastic modulus of 93 MPa while adding shaving cream (specimen B) increased the modulus to 194 MPa. As is known, a higher elastic modulus signifies a stiffer material, i.e., it stretches less when pulled and vice versa, thus the addition of shaving cream decreases the elasticity of the slime samples. Similarly, incorporating clay with into the baseline (specimen B) also decreased the flexibility of the slime (increasing the Young Modulus by more than twice to 224 MPa), making it more manageable and keep its shape after deforming. Consequently, adding both clay and shaving cream also resulted in an overall stiffer material with an elastic modulus of 229 MPa. Moreover, samples E and F were also tested. It was found that adding baking soda (sample E) also increased the modulus to 118 MPa while adding corn starch (sample F) increased it to 110 MPa. It is evident from these 2 samples that the slime becomes stiffer on adding cornstarch and baking soda, which are in fact used in food as thickening agents. The stress–strain curves are represented below in Fig.  6 .

Stress–strain curves of samples A–F.

Here it is crucial to mention that the samples G and H (with hand soap and toothpaste additives respectively) could not be tested for their mechanical properties due to their highly gelatinous nature. This could perhaps be attributed to the combination of foaming and surfactant agents added to soaps and toothpaste which lead to the slime’s inability to hold shape. This is an important observation in the slime study and could bring to the students’ attention the distinct nature of thickening agents such as corn starch and baking soda as well as cleaning agents (such as soap and toothpaste). This activity is vital to direct students to make connections with existing data to what they already know. Another inference that can be made is that the Young’s modulus of samples C and D still remain the highest due to the addition of clay which is relatively the stiffest material from the choice of additives used in this study. To summarize, the Young’s Modulus is a measure of the interatomic bond force, i.e., the stronger the atomic bonding is, the larger the Young’s Modulus 14 , 15 . When different chemicals are added, the bonds (as observed in some cases by the FT-IR spectra) between the material changes and hence causes a shift in the elastic modulus and consequently the stretchability of the samples.

Additional information

Different colored clay was added to enhance the visual appeal of slime as is seen in Fig.  7 below. Clay was used as opposed to traditional food coloring for a stronger consistency and to maintain the texture and mechanical properties of the slime as have been studied above.

Adding colored clay to make different colored slime.

In terms of education, we propose slime kits that can be prepared for younger students with the ingredients and supplies to synthesize slime and an easy-to-follow instruction manual which would facilitate the learning process. The slime kit would include: liquid school glue, borax, a beaker for measuring, a spatula for mixing, small containers to store the slime, gloves and safety goggles and an instruction manual. A few items of the slime kit are showcased below in Fig.  8 . This would allow students to investigate by adding different products at home or school and observe the physical effect on slime. The use of borax can cause serious eye irritation while swallowing larger amounts may cause gastrointestinal symptoms such as abdominal discomfort, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea. It is important thus to monitor children below the age of 12 while such experiments are being carried out and the wear of gloves is necessary during handling.

Slime kit for kids: ingredients and supplies.

To summarize, the mechanical properties of eight types of slime were studied by adding different chemicals to baseline slime and interlinked with their chemical characteristics for educational purposes. The samples were also studied under optical and scanning electron microscopy to help students visualize the material at the microscale. It was found that base slime has a good elasticity with a Young’s Modulus of 93 MPa while adding shaving cream and clay increased the stretchability with Young’s Modulus to 194 and 224 MPa respectively. Adding thickeners such as baking soda and corn starch increased the modulus to 118 and 110 MPa respectively while the integrating foaming agents (hand soap and toothpaste) resulted in gelatinous samples. We believe that studying this material will be interesting for students to identify different properties of materials on a fundamental level, induce the application of new skills and concepts, and encourage students of applying alternative scientific explanations.

Acknowledgements

The authors would also like to acknowledge Mr. Hassan Ahmed Hussein and Ms. Nevin Thunduvila Mathew for their help in carrying out the FT-IR measurements.

Author contributions

J.M.A. tested the samples via mechanical compression tests, SEM, optical microscopy, FT-IR, analyzed the results, and wrote the manuscript, L.N. made the samples and A.N. helped in analyzing the results and reviewed the manuscript.

Data availability

Competing interests.

The authors declare no competing interests.

Publisher's note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

• Skip to primary navigation
• Skip to main content
• Skip to primary sidebar

Last Modified: Jan 5, 2024 by Tara Gerner 1 Comment

The Science of Slime - It's Way More Than Polymers

Grace, my 10-year-old, is obsessed with slime. So much so that she received a gallon of Elmer's glue (it's very economical) and a large box of Borax for her birthday on June 2, and she is about ¾ of the way through the glue already. She makes slime every single day.

We are year-round homeschoolers, and I was planning for July and August last weekend. Grace saw me going over lessons and coming up with activities, and she asked if we could study slime.

Why have I never thought of that before? Grace is a very reluctant learner. She hates anything I label as school, before I even open my mouth to explain the activity.

But learning with slime might hook her! It might work!

I finished the unit I was planning on Ancient Egypt (thanks to Layers of Learning which I am totally in love with right now), and I set out to find some learning activities on Pinterest related to slime.

Except there weren't any.

There were lots of instructions for making slime, lots of variations of ways to make slime colored and glittered and smelly and ten other changes, but absolutely nothing on how to make slime educational outside of a couple of mentions of polymers.

Being the former high school science teacher, I decided to write up some stuff on my own. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to teach Grace some stuff using something that she loves. 

The Science of Slime

Basic slime recipe with elmer's glue and borax.

To make Grace's basic slime recipe, you will need these ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon  Borax
• 2 cups water, divided
• 8 oz Elmer's glue - white glue works (and is cheapest) or you can use glitter glue  (which makes amazing slime!) or clear glue for different results
• Decorations - food coloring , sequins , glitter , styrofoam balls , or others as you see fit

Slime Instructions:

• Microwave 1 cup of water for a minute or so, until it is hot but not boiling. Dissolve the Borax in the hot water.
• Pour Elmer's Glue into a bowl. Fill the bottle with water, shake it around to dislodge any leftover glue, and pour it into the glue in the bowl. Mix the glue and water together until it is smooth.
• Add any decorations at this point including food color and/or glitter or styrofoam balls.
• Pour the Borax water a little at a time into the glue mixture and stir. The slime will begin to form almost instantly and continue to form as you add the Borax solution and mix it up.
• Once you have a nice-sized glob of slime, pull it out of the liquids and knead it until it is no longer sticky.
• Store is an air-tight container or zippered bag.

You can find other recipes online that use liquid starch or even contact lens solution instead of borax. If you have a reaction to borax or are concerned about its being poisonous, you could search for one of those instead. I have only used borax, so I can't really help you with either of those.

No discussion of slime science would be complete without mentioning polymers, so that's where I'll start.

Slime is made from glue which contains polyvinyl acetate or PVA. (You can buy plain PVA which can be either polyvinyl acetate or polyvinyl alcohol, both of which work the same. PVA is rather expensive, so we haven't tried it.) PVA is made of very large, very long molecules called polymers that can bend easily and slide past each other, allowing them to act like a liquid, pour, and take the shape of their container. 

Borax is a solid called sodium tetraborate. When you dissolve it in water, the solution contains lots of borate ions (that means charged particles which are not complete molecules).

When you mix the glue and borax solutions, the borate ions hook those huge polymer chains together in a process called cross-linking. The chains get all tangled up, and they start to act more like a solid which you can stretch and squeeze. Depending on how much borax you've added, the slime may still flow a little or it may be as solid as a bouncy ball. More on that below.

Scientific Method

The scientific method is the backbone of all science. It's the general set of steps that all scientists and researchers follow in order to learn new stuff about the world, although it is fluid and flexible and sometimes done in a different order. But essentially, here's what happens:

• Observe a situation.
• Identify a problem or question. What do you want to learn or answer?
• Research the problem or question, possible causes and factors that could affect it. What do you already know or can you learn from others' work?
• Write a hypothesis or educated guess based on the information you have. What do you predict will happen?
• Create an experiment to test the hypothesis. 
• Observe and analyze the results. What happened?
• Draw conclusions . What did you learn? Was your hypothesis proved or disproved?
• Report your results.

Then you start over, tweaking your hypothesis given the new information that you have. You might repeat this process four or five times or even more depending on your experiment and variables.

Slime is great for teaching the scientific method because you can complete a whole cycle in a few minutes and start over. Perhaps your hypothesis will be that less borax makes a more liquid slime, so you would create two recipes, make them, and test the liquidiness of both. Or you could hypothesize that if you put enough borax in the slime, you could make it into a rubber ball, so you make up a new recipe with a lot of borax and test again.

I created this free scientific method printable that you can grab and fill out with your kids.

Hint: a great way to write the question in the beginning is to follow this format:

What effect will ___________ have on___________?

Variables are things that change during an experiment. Part of designing an effective experiment is identifying and manipulating the variables. Independent variables are variables that you can control, such as the amount of glue or the amount of water. Dependent variables are variables that change as the independent variables change, such as the stickiness of the slime you create. Finally, controlled variables (or "controls") are the variables that never change, such as the combination of ingredients used (you would change the amounts of the ingredients, but each batch of slime would use the same list of ingredients.).

In a well-designed and simple experiment, you would only have one independent variable. You might want to test the effect of water on the slime, so you try several different recipes using different amounts of water, but you don't vary the amount of glue or borax at all. Or perhaps you want to test the effect of borax on the slime, so you do several different recipes, each with a different amount of borax, while keeping the amount of glue and the amount of water constant.

Limiting Factor

This is another experiment where you vary the amounts of the Borax and glue. Use way more Borax than you need (you may need to adjust the amount of hot water to get it to dissolve) and see what happens to the slime. Then use way more glue than you need and see what happens to the slime.

The idea of a limiting factor is that the chemical reaction can only continue until one of the ingredients has been all used up. Once it's been all used up, the reaction stops and the other ingredient is left over.

Elasticity is the amount of stretchiness in a substance. You could use elasticity to determine the results of your variable changes above, but you have to be careful about how you measure it. If you pull the slime in two directions, how will you know that it is being pulled with the same force? A better plan is to put the slime on the edge of a table and see how far down it stretches in a certain amount of time since gravity always pulls with the same amount of force. The time constraint is important because if you let the slime stretch for 5 minutes for one batch and 3 minutes for the other batch, of course the results will be different.

Viscosity is the resistance to flow. A high viscosity means that a liquid is very thick and doesn't pour well, like corn syrup. A low viscosity means that the liquid is thin and pours easily, like water. You could do many different experiments to test viscosity, such as using glue with a high viscosity (remember, thick and sticky) and comparing that to a glue with low viscosity or making 3-5 different recipes with different amounts of borax.

Non-Newtonian Fluids

This is a concept for much older kids although even littles can explore the properties of the fluid. According to Sir Isaac Newton, the viscosity of a liquid is dependent only on temperature. A Newtonian fluid is a fluid that continues to flow, regardless of the forces acting on it, temperature. However, the viscosity of a non-Newtonian fluid, such as slime, can be altered in other ways such as agitation or changing the pressure.

The technical explanation is that slime is a fluid that changes its ability to resist deformation according to shear stress. Shear stress sounds fancy and scientific, but it just means the pressure that's applied to a substance by squeezing or stirring.

What this means is, when you pour slime or let it ooze through your fingers, it has a low viscosity and flows like a thick liquid. When you squeeze non-Newtonian slime or pound it with your fist, it feels hard, like a wet solid. This is because applying stress squeezes the particles in the slime together, making it hard for them to slide against each other.

Some non-Newtonian fluids get thicker when pressure is applied, like slime does, and some get thinner, like ketchup or mayonnaise. Think about a squeeze bottle of either one. You could hold that squeeze bottle upside down, and nothing would come out. The ketchup or mayo is acting like a solid at that point. But when you squeeze the bottle, the stuff inside shoots out like a liquid. That's a non-Newtonian fluid for you.

There are myriad Non-Newtonian fluids including slime, oobleck (which is what you get when you mix cornstarch and water - very fun), blood, yogurt, Silly Putty, tree sap, ketchup, and vanilla extract.

To test the properties of this Non-Newtonian fluid, try stretching it slowly, stretching it quickly, bouncing it, forming it into a ball and laying it on a table, and dropping it into a wide funnel. Describe how it behaves in each situation.

Also, this would be a great time to study Isaac Newton , who is one of the greatest thinkers and scientists ever to have lived. He had a very interesting life, beginning with his birth on Christmas Day 1642 as a tiny premature infant. He lived much of his life with his grandmother because he didn't like his step father. I could go on, but I think it would be fun for you to look into his life yourself.

Creep is a highly scientific term that refers to the ability of Borax to ooze around when placed on a table or other hard, flat surface. It is interesting to note that the same process is what causes the plates of the earth to shift around on the mostly solid but somewhat oozy mantle. While slime can ooze at a rate of a few centimeters per minute, the plates move a few centimeters per year in some spots and even less in others. The movement of the plates is called plate tectonics if you're interested in learning more about it. That's one of my favorite geology topics.

Evaporation

Feel the slime in your hand and notice the temperature.

Slime always feels cool when you touch it. This is because it is 96% water, and all that water evaporates readily. Evaporation, or water changing form from liquid to gas, takes in energy (heat) which then cools the surface. It's doesn't just feel cool - it  is  cool.

This is the same principle that explains why sweating cools you down. As the water evaporates, it removes heat from your body.

Because slime contains so much water, it can easily dry out and become brittle. It might be fun to leave some out and check its properties every couple of hours for a day or so, until it is completely dry.

Borax is caustic, which means that it is capable of burning the skin. Some people are allergic and have reactions to it. Use caution if you think you may have a reaction. Grace has used her Borax over and over with never an issue, but if you think you might have a problem, it would be best to use rubber gloves.

Borax is poisonous if swallowed, and you should take care not to breathe in the fine dust. Always wash your hands after handling Borax or slime.

Borax has been used as a water softener, a mild antiseptic, and occasionally as cleaner, though today, these applications are generally performed by other products. Borax is not widely used anymore, and that's why you may have trouble finding it in a traditional store.

In Conclusion

I think slime is really cool, and so do my kids. I think I have given you lots of things to work on to make slime a very rich learning experience, but if you can think of anything else to do with it, please leave your suggestions in the comments. I'd also love to hear and see what you do with it in your homeschool (or afterschool or summer projects), so leave those in the comments or on Facebook .

Happy sliming!

More Elementary Aged Kids

Reader Interactions

Leave a reply cancel reply.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

October 21, 2022 at 11:08 am

Thank you so much for this treasure!! I'm getting ready for a slime STEM program at the library and encountered the same problem you did when I started the prep: lots of slime recipes, but barely any scientific info. This is so helpful and will add substance to my program! Thank you!

Privacy Overview

An official website of the United States government

Here's how you know

Official websites use .gov A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS. A lock ( Lock Locked padlock ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

The secret success of slime

If you spend much time around kids, you know they never pass up the chance to play with slime. One type of slime in our own bodies is saliva, and a recent study found an interesting way it evolves in different species.

It's oozy. It's sticky. It's a child's favorite messy toy. It's slime!

While most children are playing with slime developed by toy companies, natural slime plays an important role in making sure animals' bodies function properly — even humans! The saliva that keeps your mouth wet is just one form of slimy mucus in your body.

What exactly is mucus? It is a type of gel organisms produce for different tasks. In some mollusks, it helps create pearls, while in our bodies it has many roles. In addition to saliva, mucus also plays a role in the immune system, helps lubricate our esophagus so food can pass down more easily, protects our stomach from acids, and makes up snot. The proteins that make up mucus are fittingly called mucins.

How did the slimy proteins evolve? What animal developed it and why? As it turns out, mucins likely evolved independently several different times in several different organisms. A U.S. National Science Foundation-powered study at the University at Buffalo looking at the origin of mucins in humans, mice, cows and ferrets identified 15 separate instances of mucin evolution — each from a process of adding to a non-mucin protein akin to adding water to sand to make it sludgy. Rather than water and sand, the mammals added a short chain of amino acids coated with sugar molecules to an existing protein. The new strand got duplicated and the protein got longer, resulting in a mucin.

While many of the bits of genetic coding that tell a cell to produce a mucin have some similarity with genes in other animals and can be traced back to a common ancestor, because of the additive process the researchers described the identified mucin genes can’t be traced back and are known as orphans. The researchers theorized there is a reason for so many orphan mucin genes, particularly in saliva, across species: It is easier for them to evolve.

"Almost all tissues have some sort of mucins present," explained Omer Gokcumen, a lead investigator in the study. "Then I can actually extrapolate, and again this is handwaving, but saliva is a good place to produce new mucins because there are a lot of adaptations happening. You are actually putting stuff in your mouth. It can be pathogens, it can be new food, etc., and in adapting to these new environments, new pathogens, new diets, you may end up shifting you mucin contents."

Unlike the brain or heart, which have identical functions between different mammals, saliva is specific to the species. This is because what we put in our mouths differs from what a ferret or cow puts in theirs. Understanding how the mucins in our mouth evolved and function can help improve people's lives. For example, it could help find a new treatment for dry mouth disease or help researchers learn how to keep cells from going wild and causing cancers or other illnesses.

Because mucins are diverse and populous, they have given rise to many gooey substances in the animal kingdom, including not just saliva, but also the slime on slugs and snot in humans. It is these types of things that gave toy makers the ideas of making slime for kids (and maybe even you!) to play with.

Want to have a slimin' good time? Below are some step-by-step recipes for making your own slime at home!

About the Author

Related stories.

Invention to Impact: The story of LASIK eye surgery

2023: A tremendous year for science that sets stage for an exciting 2024 and beyond

NSF 101: GRANTED

• Skip to main content
• Skip to primary sidebar
• Amazon Favorites
• Search this website

A Dab of Glue Will Do

Little Learners, Big Ideas

PS PK K 1 2

Slime Recipe Test: Simple Science For Kids

I'd love it if you shared!

• Pinterest 425

Slime is an amazing material that is perfect for kids to make and play with. Slime is the perfect example for learning about chemical bonds and polymer chains and basic chemical reactions. However, a true science experiment includes a hypothesis, experiment, and conclusion. This slime recipe test mixes science with sensory play by testing three slime recipes to find the ultimate slime recipe for stretchiness, bounciness, and squeezability.

Getting the Slime Recipe Test Experiment Ready:

With a little advanced setup, this experiment can be done in a classroom setting. For each child you will need:

• 6 ounces of Elmer’s white school glue
• 6 plastic cups
• 1/4 cup measuring cup
• 1/2 teaspoon of Borax powder
• 1 cup of baking soda
• 1/4 of a cup of starch
• 3 craft sticks
• 1 experiment test printable

Cup 1: Mix 1/4 cup of glue, 5 drops of red food coloring, and 1/4 cup of water.

Cup 2: Mix 1/2 a teaspoon of Borax powder into 1/2 a cup of water.

Cup 1: Mix 1/4 cup of glue, 1/4 cup of water, and 5 drops of blue food coloring.

Cup 2:  Mix 1/4 of a cup of laundry starch.

Cup 1: Mix 1/4 cup of glue, a tablespoon of water, and 5 drops of orange food coloring.

Cup 2: Add 1 cup of baking soda.

Doing the Slime Recipe Test Experiment

In this test, children will determine which slime recipe makes the best slime. In our experiment, the kids decided that the best slime would be the recipe that produced the stretchiest, bounciest, and squishiest slime.  Each recipe was bounced, squeezed, and stretched and then scored.

The kids used forks to mix the two cups of ingredients together (you can also use craft sticks) and then played with the slime to test it. The different colors helped the kids remember which recipe was which for easier scoring. The baking soda slime is the most difficult, as the amount of baking soda necessary to produce a slime texture can vary. The more baking soda added, the more dough-like the mixture becomes. If the slime is sticky, add more baking soda. If it is too dough-like, add a bit more glue.

Recipe 1: Borax

The borax recipe produced a slime that was stretchy to a point, but it broke easily if it was stretched too quickly. The Borax slime produced the bounciest slime, but when squeezed, it broke apart.

Recipe 2: Laundry Starch

The laundry starch slime stretched the best . It also had a squeezable texture. The laundry starch slime wasn’t as bouncy , but it still had some bounce to it.

Recipe 3: Baking Soda

The baking soda slime was not very stretchy , and it did not bounce at all . The slime was the favorite for squeezability in our test group.

Slime Recipe Test Experiment Results

In the end, the kids decided that the laundry starch slime was the best slime . It stretched without breaking, had some bounce, and squished between their fingers.

More Science Activities and Ideas

Walking Water Science for Kids

Science Notebook

Plants Unit

Want STEM planned for you ALL YEAR LONG?!

Do you want science planned for the ENTIRE CALENDAR YEAR !? This Endless Science Mega Bundle will save you so much time and keep your students engaged and excited about learning . This amazing resource contains 53 science topics  including  life science , physical science , earth science , and animal studies .

You May Also Enjoy These Posts

Reader Interactions

[…] arts and crafts, some science experiments can get rather messy. Kids of all ages love making slime, and the science of Mentos and soda never seems to grow old! Solar s’mores ovens, worm towers, […]

[…] Slime Recipe Test: Simple Science for Kids […]

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

Slime Science Project | Everything You Need to Know

By: Author Charlene Hess

Posted on Last updated: September 13, 2023

Are you looking to try a slime science project ? Homemade slime is becoming an increasingly popular thing, and rightfully so.  Slime provides many learning opportunities across multiple subjects, including tactile sensory play, science and chemical reactions, math and ratios, hands-on STEM/STEAM, problem-solving and more. Slime is a good example of a STEM activity .

Typically slime is thought to be a fun activity for younger kids, but there is much to be learned from this fun science activity for older kids too.  Slime science is a fascinating thing and if you’re okay with a messy kitchen, you’re in for a day of fun-filled chemical reactions, creativity, and cause-and-effect reactions that even high school students will enjoy.  

Using the scientific method, your students are well on their way to discovering  the scientific wonders of slime .

Whether you’re looking for the perfect science fair project, an educational activity for your homeschool STEM curriculum , or you just want to have fun with your kids, we’re going to show you the step-by-step process for making slime with your kids.

This article may contain affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy for more details.

Easy Navigation

Get a Bonus Free STEM Project Sent to Your Inbox

Want a free STEM project to do with your kids? Click the button below to sign up to have an exclusive project guide sent to you so you can see exactly what to expect from our popular STEM Made Easy Digital Subscription.

Or read more about the other  STEM Made Easy Digital Subscription here.  Each month includes 5 STEM project guides along with step-by-step instructions, worksheets, and extra learning resources to make STEM fun and engaging for kids ages 3-19.

Slime Experiments and Fun Slime Science Fair Projects

When I was in high school, I was considered a very good student. I found most of my classes to be simple and fun, with one exception: chemistry class. I got my first ever C in chemistry junior year, and to this day I still consider that to be one of the hardest classes I ever took. It’s no surprise that I always put off teaching chemistry to my own kids. 

So what does this story have to do with slime?  What’s so educational about slime anyhow?  

The Science of Slime

The fact is, there is a science of slime. For one thing, slime is chemistry in motion.  

Chemistry explains states of matter such as liquid, solid, and gas, and it also explains how these states of matters react under different conditions, especially the formation of new substances.  

Slime is a non-Newtonian fluid, meaning it does not conform to the standard rules of fluid dynamics. Unlike water, which has a constant viscosity, slime can change its viscosity in response to stress. This property is what makes slime so interesting to play with and experiment on.

Slime science projects feature an endothermic reaction, meaning it absorbs heat (energy) rather than giving it off.  This explains why slime gets colder over time.  Then, depending on the recipe you use, certain ingredients change the molecular makeup, also known as cross-linking.  Your student can use the scientific method to test which slime recipes and ingredients cause which chemical reactions.  

Slime also has unique properties when it comes to its behavior under stress. When slime is stretched or pulled slowly, the polymer chains slide past each other, making the slime more fluid-like. However, when the slime is rapidly stretched or hit with force, the polymer chains become entangled and the slime becomes more solid-like.

Other chemistry concepts that making slime involves are:

• Chemical reactions
• Cross-linking
• States of matter

Talk about fun science activity!  It’s no wonder people all over are using this concept as a slime science fair project idea.

Slime is a fascinating substance that makes science for kids fun and engaging.  This simple science activity contains some fascinating information.

You can teach your children why glue stays liquid (because it is a polymer made up of identical long strand molecules, called monomers) until a borate ion ingredient is added to the mixture (connecting the long strand molecules together).  Throughout the mixing process, these ingredients begin to form a thick, rubbery type substance (eventually becoming slime).  

Slime is also a unique substance that can be considered a solid and a liquid (known as a non-newtonian fluid). You can even experiment with making it more or less thick and sticky (viscous/viscosity) by adding foam beads . 

The possibilities are almost endless.   

Easy Slime Recipes

Use these easy slime recipes and experiment with the elements of slime.  Make sure you take good notes so you can use what you learn in your next science project!  Consider testing out multiple basic slime recipes, or perhaps multiple variants of the same recipe, during your science project and see what happens when you combine different ingredients.

For example, in the Borax Slime recipe, what happens if you add less borax? Or more? How much borax would you need to add to turn your slime into a rubber ball? There are so many questions and possibilities to discover!

On that note, feel free to download these free, printable scientific method worksheets .  Perfect for slime science fair projects or other at-home science experiments.

3-Ingredient Slime (without Borax)

You will need:

• 2 (4-ounce) bottles washable school glue (like Elmer’s)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 to 3 tablespoons saline solution, divided
• Optional – 3 drops food coloring

Instructions:

• Pour the glue into a medium bowl.  
• Add the baking soda to the glue and stir until smooth. 
• If desired, add food coloring now.
• Pour in 2 tablespoons of the saline solution and stir slowly. The mixture should begin to harden, eventually becoming stringy. 
• Slowly continue mixing until a ball of slime forms. 
• Knead the mixture by working it between your hands until smooth. If the slime is too slimy, work in another 1/2 tablespoon of saline solution as needed. 
• Store your slime in an airtight container at room temperature for future play.

Tip: use glow in the dark glue for glow in the dark slime!

Puffy, Fluffy Slime Recipe

• 2/3 cup of Elmer’s White Glue
• 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1/4 Cup Water
• 2-3 cups Shaving Cream
• 1.5 Tablespoons Contact Lens Solution (must have boric acid and sodium borate in the ingredients)
• Add the white glue to a bowl. 
• Add water and baking soda, then mix. 
• Add the shaving cream and mix again. 
• Slowly add in contact solution and knead.  

Tip: add 1 TSP and knead for 5 minutes, then add ½ TSP and continue kneading. 

This mixture will be sticky but will be less sticky as you add more contact solution.  Consider adding baby oil to your hands if it’s too sticky.  Store in an airtight container for future play

Borax Slime

Remember – borax is a soap (commonly used along with laundry detergent) and is toxic!  Keep this in mind when using with young children.

• 1/2 cup White glue
• 2/3 cup Water
• 1 tsp Borax powder
• 1/3 cup Water for making borax solution
• 2 tsp Shampoo
• Make a borax solution by mixing borax powder with water in a bottle and shake the bottle until the borax powder dissolves. 
• Mix water, glue and shampoo in another bowl. 
• Slowly add borax solution (1 ml. at a time) to the glue mixture and stir it until it is thick and has the slime texture that you want. 
• Add some oil to the slime to make it not stick to your hands. 
• Knead and stretch until it is the consistency of slime.  

Buttery Slime

Ingredients:

• 3 TBS Corn starch
• 3 TBS White glue
• 3 TBS Shaving cream
• 4 Pinches Baking soda
• 2 TBS Contact solution
• 1/2 tsp Baby oil
• Optional – 3 Drops food coloring
• In a bowl, combine corn starch and white Elmer’s glue.
• Add shaving cream and four pinches of baking soda.
• Add food coloring, if desired.
• Add contact solution and mix until it turns into slime.
• Add baby oil and mix well.

***Consider adding glitter, food coloring, and foam beads to any of your slime mixtures to create different kinds of cool looking slime.

Slime Safety & Precautions

Although most basic slime recipes you’ll find here (and across the internet) are typically child-safe, there are a few safety and precaution tips we’d like to share.

For starters, an adult should always be in supervision of creating the slime. Adults should always be the ones handling any ingredients that are considered chemicals, such as borax powder or laundry detergent. Most slime projects are not suitable for children under the age of 4. 

If you notice any type of skin irritation, discontinue making, using, and/or playing with slime immediately. In some cases, gloves can be worn while playing with slime.  Slime should be played with in moderation and not played with for an extended amount of time.  Most slimes are not edible (and none on this page are) so refrain from putting slime in any mouths.

If you are looking for slime recipes that are safe to eat (and perhaps even delicious!) check out this article on edible slime recipes and other edible science experiments .

How to Make a Slime Science Fair Project

With your slime education and recipe, you are now ready to use your slime concoction for a science fair project!

There are many ways you can do this; however, you can’t go wrong with presenting it through the scientific method. The way you work through this method can be what you show bystanders at your science fair.  

Navigate through the following prompts to create a project worth remembering:

• Brainstorm a question you’d like to answer.
• Research your question.
• Gather any materials and supplies needed.
• Conduct the science experiment that will answer your question and back up your research.
• Gather data and analyze the results.
• Draw your conclusion and check to see if it answered your question.

Slime science project questions to ask:

• Do you need water in your recipe?
• What happens if you add more or less of something?
• How does the substance change over time?

You can also experiment with creating volcanic slime , glow in the dark slime , magnetic slime , and even UV color-changing slime . 

Proper Disposal of Your Slime Experiment

After you’ve finished conducting your slime science experiments, you’ll need to dispose of any leftover slime properly. The following are a few tips for safely disposing of slime:

• Don’t pour slime down the drain: Slime can clog your drains and pipes, leading to costly plumbing repairs. Instead, dispose of slime in the trash.
• Put slime in a sealable container: Before you throw away slime, we advise that you put it in a sealable container to prevent it from sticking to other garbage or leaking out of the trash bag.
• Wash your hands: After handling slime, be sure to wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water.
• Consider composting: If you’re using natural materials to make slime, such as cornstarch or flour, consider composting the slime instead of throwing it away. This can help reduce waste and benefit your garden.

Troubleshooting Common Issues with Slime Science Experiments

Sometimes, your slime science experiments may not turn out the way you expected. Here are some common issues and how to troubleshoot them:

• Slime is too sticky: If your slime is too sticky, it may be because you added too much water or not enough activator. Try adding more activator, such as borax or contact lens solution, and kneading the slime until it becomes less sticky.
• Slime is too hard: If your slime is too hard, it may be because you added too much activator. Try adding more water or a few drops of oil, such as baby oil or cooking oil, and kneading the slime until it becomes softer.
• Slime is too runny: If your slime is too runny, it may be because you added too much water or not enough activator. Try adding more activator and kneading the slime until it becomes thicker.
• Slime is lumpy or grainy: If your slime is lumpy or grainy, it may be because you didn’t mix the ingredients well enough or didn’t dissolve the activator properly. Try mixing the ingredients more thoroughly, or dissolve the activator in hot water before adding it to the slime mixture.
• Slime smells bad: If your slime has a bad smell, it may be because you used expired ingredients or didn’t store the slime properly. Throw away the slime and start over with fresh ingredients, and be sure to store the slime in an airtight container when not in use.

STEM Resources Delivered to Your Inbox Every Month

If you liked this edible STEM activity, you are going to love the STEM Made Easy Digital Subscription . Each month, you’ll receive 5 fully-planned STEM project guides along with worksheets and instructions for how to make them fun and engaging for kids ages 3-19. Check it out now !

What kind of slime will you be making? Let us know in the comments below!

Related Posts:

• Rock Candy Science
• STEAM-Based Homeschooling
• 4th of July STEM Ideas
• Valentine’s STEM Activities
• The Best Online STEM Classes for Kids
• STEAM Art Project Ideas
• Recent Posts

• What’s the Best Easter Egg Dyeing Method? – An Easter-Themed STEAM Activity - March 28, 2024
• Free Easter Printables For Kids to Enjoy - March 20, 2024
• A Simple Guide to a Christ-Centered Easter Egg Hunt - March 19, 2024

Like What You See? Tell Your Friends!

• Share This 107
• Pin This 386

You have successfully subscribed to the newsletter

There was an error while trying to send your request. Please try again.

We'll be upgrading our systems on Saturday, Mar 30, 2024 from 6:00 AM to 8:00 AM eastern time. Elephango may be unavailable for up to 20 minutes.

• Elephango for Families
• Elephango for Schools
• Standards Search
• Family Sign-Up

Slime Experiment

Contributor: Samantha Penna. Lesson ID: 11918

The thought of "slime" doesn't make you think of the world of science, with fancy labs and great experiments, does it? But making it can be a fun scientific exercise! Get ready to make your own slime!

Scientific Method

Lesson plan - get it.

• Do you believe that's a scientific invention pictured above?

It's not sloppy work; it's supposed to look like that!

• What is it?

It's slime !

• Have you ever seen or played with slime?
• Do you know how slime is made?
• What ingredients do you think you would need to make slime?

Share your answers with your parent or teacher.

In this lesson, you will make your own slime. During your experiment, you will take on the role of a scientist. Take a look at the science steps you will take:

• Ask a question.
• Make a hypothesis.
• Experiment.
• Analyze data.
• Compare results with hypothesis.

Some of these things may sound a little confusing, but don't worry! This lesson will guide you through all of the steps.

First, you will need to gather all of your ingredients before you start experimenting. Gather the supplies listed below:

• measuring cup
• liquid starch
• green food coloring
• mixing spoon
• sealable container

Look at all the supplies you have. Think of a question you can ask about the ingredients and making slime. Share your question with your parent or teacher.

Great! You finished Step 1.

Now, for Step 2, you need to create a hypothesis . A hypothesis is a prediction you make about what will happen during an experiment. Predict what will happen if you use all of these ingredients together. Tell your parent or teacher your hypothesis (prediction) about what will happen if all the ingredients are mixed together. Think about how it will feel, smell, and look.

• What characteristics do you think your slime will have?

Now you are ready to experiment, so move on to the Got It? section to begin the experiment!

Resources and Extras

Additional Resources

• Magnetic Movement Experiment
• The Five Senses and Science

Suggested Lessons

Penny Experiment

Water Pollution

The Beating Heart

Changing the Earth: Weathering

Magnetic Slime

In this activity, you will

discover magnetic forces!

Supplies Required

• 1/2c Elmer’s washable liquid glue
• 1/4c liquid starch
• Small magnets
• Magnetic wand

The Challenge

Magnets are objects that produce an area of magnetic force called a magnetic field. Magnetic fields by themselves are invisible to the human eye. Magnets only attract certain types of metals, other materials such as glass, plastic and wood aren’t attracted. Metals such as iron, nickel and cobalt are attracted to magnets. Magnetism can attract magnetic objects or push them away. Magnets have a magnetic north pole and a magnetic south pole. If the same pole of two magnets are placed near each other they will push away (repel), while if different poles are placed near each other they will pull together (attract).

Let’s Experiment and Build!

Instructions

• In a bowl add 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup glue and mix well to combine completely.
• Now’s the time to add the magnets and other objects.
• Pour in 1/4 cup of liquid starch and stir well.
• Start kneading your slime! It will appear stringy at first but just work it around with your hands and you will notice the consistency change. SLIME MAKING TIP: The trick with liquid starch slime is to put a few drops of the liquid starch onto your hands before picking up the slime. However, keep in mind that although adding more liquid starch reduces the stickiness, and it will eventually create a stiffer slime.
• Place the Magnetic Wand close to the slime and test it out! See what objects attract to the magnet.

Think about it and Additional Resources

Analysis: Based on your observations what do we now know? What objects attracted the most? The least? Why do you think this happened?

Come to your conclusion: Was your hypothesis correct or incorrect?

Share on social media: Take a video of your magnetic slime. Explain to your friends and family how magnets work and what your slime pulled in! Use the hashtags on social media:

#MagneticSlime #ProjectExploration #StemAtHome

For more activities like this one, go to www.projectexploration.org/stemhome . If you’re interested in learning more about Project Exploration and our free events, programs, and activities, please find us on social media and be sure to follow!

Call or text us for help: 312-772-6634

In these videos, you will learn…

• More about magnets with Science Max
• More about making slime

Connect with us

Complete More Challenges

A pink slime site used AI to rewrite our AI ethics article

Even poynter’s guide for using generative ai ethically isn’t immune from those who won’t..

Hours after Poynter released its AI ethics guide , a near-identical article appeared on a sketchy website. It was likely written by artificial intelligence.

The piece, filed in Tech Gate by an alleged human named Bourbiza Mohamed — who racks up bylines on stories about video games, Bitcoin and NASA every five minutes or so — was published four hours after Poynter’s story. It had Poynter’s art and logo, and followed the same structure as Kelly McBride’s article, but nearly every sentence was rewritten with peculiar word choices.

For example, the Tech Gate article says:

“Consider of it (sic) like a meals prep package. A lot of the function is completed, however you even now must roll up your sleeves and perform a little little (sic) bit of labor.”

Compare that to McBride’s piece:

“Think of it like a meal prep kit. Most of the work is done, but you still have to roll up your sleeves and do a bit of labor.”

Tech Gate’s about me page is vague and lacks any contact information. It says the site launched in 2007, but the site’s earliest archive in the Wayback Machine is from 2015 — and is written in Arabic.

Even an article about the ethical use of AI isn’t immune from bad actors who will use the technology unethically. In this case, the site likely steals content for easy advertising revenue.

Tech Gate is a pink slime news site , a website masquerading as a news source that is filled with poor-quality reporting (usually no reporting) or AI-generated articles and that may be used by political operatives to launder opinion pieces.

Last year, I spoke with Charlie Melvin, publisher of the Richmond Observer , who showed me a pink slime site doing the same thing with his organization’s local stories. He worried that at scale, AI would cheapen the value of original content — since it could be easily plagiarized on networks of sketchy websites.

This episode highlights a few challenges for news outlets. One: How can you compete with unethical outlets in the age of generative AI? And two: How do I protect my intellectual property?

While I can’t fully answer either, I can say that this curious case shows that AI will be used increasingly to feed the online content beast — ethically or not. The only way you can compete is by experimenting with and implementing generative AI in your newsroom. AI is coming for your content, and this industry.

I hope Poynter’s AI ethics guide — and not Tech Gate’s Dollar Store knockoff — can expand your shop’s resources to fight back against the rise of AI slime.

Opinion | Wall Street Journal marks one year of reporter’s detainment in Russian jail

Evan Gershkovich was arrested a year ago today in Russia while on a reporting assignment for the Journal

A Baltimore bridge collapsed in the middle of the night and two metro newsrooms leapt into action

Coverage from The Baltimore Sun and The Baltimore Banner had much in common but with some marked differences — especially in visuals.

Private equity reporting grants show good return

Projects in Hawaii, Milwaukee and south central Indiana knit news organizations into community life

Opinion | How misinformation will be gender-based in Ghana’s upcoming elections

Fact-checkers must be on the lookout for narratives that target and diminish women candidates

Opinion | The bombing of Erbil is a case study in misinformation

Real events spawn online fabrications, making data analysis an important tool for truth

You must be logged in to post a comment.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

Start your day informed and inspired.

Get the Poynter newsletter that's right for you.