How To Make Your Own Slime

Hit the kitchen this Halloween and make a recipe for fun when you learn how to make your own slime. This homemade slime recipe is designed for kids to get their hands dirty, plus it's offers sensory stimulation for sight and touch. Prepare to get messy and have a lot of fun with homemade slime.

Sensory guide: See • Touch

Set-up time mid

Clean-up time high

Mess factor high

Because this slime recipe uses only natural ingredients, it is unlikely to cause any skin irritations, but it is likely to have your child thinking, I wonder what would happen if I put my whole body into the slime? The results are brilliant, but the clean-up is more than a quick wipe with a sponge. Be prepared for this to turn into a full-body experience. At the very least, have a clean towel ready; you will need it when they’re done. The hose might come in handy, too. Don’t say we didn’t warn you!

YOU WILL NEED

If using homemade food coloring heat it slightly without adding water. Otherwise, mix the food coloring and the warm water in a bowl. You can make the slime using cold water or cold food coloring, but the cornflour will be clumpier.

Slowly add the cornflour, mixing and blending as you go. If it’s too runny, add more cornflour; if it’s too firm, add more water. If you want the mixture to be a little more slippery, or you’re hoping to give your patio or driveway a thorough clean when tidy-up time rolls around, then add a little squirt of dishwashing liquid (too much will cut through the slimy qualities and leave you with a sloppy mess). You should be left with a substance that looks like a liquid but is firm to the touch.

Turn out your blob onto the tray and let them at it. Drive toy cars through it, submerge animal figurines in it, mix it with sticks, or attack it with cooking utensils.

This slime recipe looks way worse than it is. It dries hard and floury, so if they traipse it through the house, just wait for the mess to dry and vacuum it up. Outside, just set the hose on it—and your kids.

Recipe from Recipes for Play: Creative Activities for Small Hands and Big Imaginations, copyright © Rachel Sumner and Ruth Mitchener, 2014. Reprinted by permission of the publisher, The Experiment. Available wherever books are sold. theexperimentpublishing.com. Photo by Ruth Mitchener.