An Oldie but Goodie

Malia is off-track right now. Since she is the only one and I’m no longer hard pressed to keep 3-4 children entertained for three weeks, sometimes I don’t think about doing all the fun things I used to do to keep the boys from tearing the house (and each other) apart. A couple of days ago Malia found a bottle of white glue and asked if we could make slime. It was a busy day for me, and I didn’t have time, but I promised we would do it and today was the day. I helped her get things mixed up and then she let her creativity run wild.

She spent a couple of hours sitting at the counter enjoying her non-Newtonian fluid. It was a cheap afternoon of entertainment. 😊

Christmas Chemistry

Today’s activity was making slime. It was made festive by using red glitter glue and a drop of peppermint extract for aroma. Malia had a lovely time playing with it. She’s definitely all girl though, molding a boy and a girl who are in love. That is a first for me. The boys never really made pictures with their slime. They just squished it, tossed it, made it ooze, etc. So girly, glittery slime. Fun times for my little lady.

Science is Cool!

Several months ago I saw a pin on pinterest about reusable bubbles. Now that all the boys are out of school for a few weeks, we decided to give them a try. This recipe is basically slime (or gak) but made stiffer so it will hold its shape a while longer. We’ve made slime before, but this was a whole new twist on the slime thing. And we had some very serious fun. Even Malia got into the whole bubble blowing bonanza.

(synchronized bubble blowing is harder than it looks)

Back to school sales are starting and white glue is super cheap so go get yourself a bottle or two (or as many bottles as you have children to eliminate the bickering) and try the reusable bubbles. It’s a totally fun way to spend an afternoon. And I only feel a little high from breathing in glue fumes…

Here’s how we did it: mix one bottle of white glue (ours were 4 oz.) with food coloring (or liquid water colors). You can add some glitter as well, but we didn’t have any because I’m not a fan of the mess glitter makes. And once the fun got started, nobody missed it. Add StaFlo liquid starch a little at a time, stirring after each addition. When the slime is too solid to stir, start kneading it instead. Continue to add starch a bit at a time until the slime breaks when pulled straight up instead of stretching. Use straws to blow some pretty awesome bubbles. And be prepared to play with it much longer than you think you will. Seriously. Even if you are a grown up like me. Unless you’re a boring grown up in which case you’ll be folding laundry like a good girl while the kids are playing. (FYI: my laundry is still not folded)

Slime Time

This week is my boys' last week off-track and they have been cooped up inside.  Nathan has been running around the neighborhood a bit, but with all the smoke in the air, Daniel has been pretty much stuck inside.  So today we made the morning a bit less boring my making slime.  We've made slime before, but this time I used a slightly different method and was much happier with the results.  As for the boys, slime is slime so they enjoyed themselves.  Daniel thought the whole thing was scientifically awesome.

Nathan was pretty skeptical during the mixing phase of the slime, but recovered admirably once it was all finished.

Matthew just flat out enjoyed himself.

So if you are need of an inexpensive inside activity, go ahead and get slimed!

Attack of the Slime Monsters

In an attempt to keep Daniel and Nathan from killing each other, periodically throughout the summer we do activities designed to distract them from boredom and keep them occupied for awhile. Today we made slime. This is super cool goo that feels like a cross between playdough and jello. Totally fun. Nathan told me that he is a slime artist, explaining to me that he makes art out of slime. Daniel wasn't going to touch it at first, but once he saw how fun it was he changed his mind.

Daniel taking his stirring very seriously.

Nathan getting all the Borax dissolved.

Whoaa!

We went to the library this morning and got our July prize for the summer reading program. Daniel pulled out a plastic fly ring. Nathan pulled out a ladybug eraser and was not happy about it. I think he was taking his frustrations out on the slime. He was much happier afterward. I think slime therapy works for him.

Slime Monsters!

Homemade Slime

CRAFT MATERIALS:
Two mixing bowls
Measuring cups and spoons
Glue
Borax
Green food coloring
Water

Time needed: Under 1 Hour

1. Mix together 3/4 cup warm water, 1 cup glue and several drops of green food coloring in the first bowl.

2. In the second bowl, mix together 4 teaspoons borax and 1 1/3 cups warm water.

3. Pour the contents of the first bowl into the second, but don’t stir. Let it sit for 1 minute, then lift the now-congealed slime out of the bowl.

4. Divide slime so that each child has a piece to play with. The glue in slime can make it stick to certain fabrics. To minimize accidents, give each little monster a zip-top bag to store it in.

Tips:
SAFETY NOTE: Since borax is toxic in large doses, be sure to keep the slime away from kids younger than age three.

Note: If any of you want to make this come get some Borax from me! I comes in a five pound box and since a recipe of slime only uses 4 tsp., I have tons!