So I used to be that mother that was 100% OCD about my house being spotless. Everything has its place and everything was in its place. I refused to let things like Play-Doh in my home and the sight of messy crafts made my skin crawl. I completely blame myself for my, now, high school graduate being more into technology than getting his hands dirty. That all being said, I learned my lesson somewhere along that way, that messy kid time fun doesn’t have to be a complete homewrecking experiment. In the past couple of years, I have gone so far as to host friends and their kids for rock painting parties and making homemade Play-Doh. Well this time around, I thought we would give slime a try.
I did quite a bit of research on homemade slime. It truly seemed like no two recipes were alike. I honestly didn’t know where to begin. Which ones work? Which ones don’t? Which ones are safe? The list of questions I had goes on and on. And then the light bulb moment hit. We can try several and see which ones pull their weight, shall we say.
Super Simple Slime
First, in the mixing bowl, I opted for the 2 Ingredient Slime over at Kimspired DIY. With just two ingredients that everyone usually has at home, this one was a no-brainer to try. The thing I liked the most about trying this one is that we were able to use scented conditioner, so the end result smelled amazing. The kids and I voted that this one is definitely a winner. We did add a third ingredient, food coloring.
Edible Slime
Yes, you read that right. I said edible slime. Although I’m still torn on the whole idea of eating slime, this one is completely safe for the little people that like to put things in their mouth that they maybe shouldn’t. When I stumbled across this Jello Slime on One Savvy Mom my curiosity was definitely peaked. We tried both the sugar-free and full sugar jello just to see if they would turn out the same. And as the page points out, the sugar-free makes for a better slime consistency. But as an advocate against artificial sugars, I felt better with my kids playing with the full sugar option. The sugar version was definitely stickier. With others working out better, this is one we probably will not be doing again.
Glitter Slime
Admittedly I was uneasy about this recipe, at first. That question in my gut was because of one ingredient…..BORAX. Borax is a chemical that can easily irritate the skin and eyes and is unquestionably NOT EDIBLE. So when working with little hands and mouths, you need to be extra careful that none of the mixture is ingested. With all that in mind, the borax made all the difference in this recipe. If you want to give it a try, just stop on by Mom Luck for a list of ingredients and steps.
Fluffy Slime
Another recipe that I stumbled across that sounded like loads of fun was for this Fluffy Slime at The Best Ideas for Kids. This recipe had the most ingredients of all the ones I tested out (water not pictured).
I followed the strict instructions that were laid out on the website and results were mixed. It started to look like the consistency of slime but was super sticky. After adding more contact solution it held together a bit better, but once again was still sticky. At least it cleaned up off of little fingers pretty easy.
The Results
So what did I find after all of our experiments? If you are wanting a dry slime consistency and you don’t want it sticking to everything, Borax is the way to go. It really does activate the solution and pull everything together. But if you are skittish about your little people being near chemicals, then the conditioner/cornstarch mixture is the perfect option. With either of these two choices, your kids will have fun for hours and it won’t break the bank.
Have you ever made slime at home? Do you have a foolproof recipe that you use? Do you feel like it’s worth the effort or do you just go for store-bought? Drop your thoughts in the comments down below.
