SLIME!!!!!!!

Everyone loves slime!!  I have fond memories of making this fun concoction in the elementary lunch room.  I believe we used cornstarch back then.  There are plenty of recipes or instructions online for slime, but the one I tweaked for our purposes is http://www.burbmom.net/slime/.  The ingredients and supplies you will need are as follows:

Elmer's Glue
Borax (laundry soap)
Food Coloring (optional)
Measuring cups and spoons
Water
Children (also optional, but this project is more fun when little ones are involved)

The best part is that this project is very inexpensive.  The 5lb box of Borax (which I had never heard of until last week) was $2.99, and the food coloring (generic, because I am super frugal) was $1.99.  We had the glue on-hand, but c'mon, people, glue is super cheap too.  No excuses!!!!!

The first thing you want to do is mix an equal amount of glue and water together.  I used 1/8 cup of each, and let the kids mix it together in a 1/2 cup measuring cup.  (I had to remind them to mix SLOWLY, so if your kiddos are a little rambunctious, you may want to give them a deeper mixing "bowl".) 

After they were mixing away, I helped them add the food coloring.  (Heck no, they weren't allowed to do this part, are you crazy?!) Jo chose purple, and Ben chose blue.  The best part about this is they won't be able to fight over whose slime is whose.  And it's a great way to talk about mixing primary colors.  We only needed a few drops of coloring to reach the desired effect.

Next we mixed in 3/4tsp (no need to be exact, an overflowing tsp is fine) of Borax in 1/2 cup room temp water into a separate measuring cup (we used a 1 cup sized).  You want to stir this for several minutes, until the borax is completely dissolved.  Once it's saturated, you are ready to add the glue/water mixture.  The chemicals in the borax and water mixture should immediately bind with the glue/water.  Who said chemistry is boring?! 
IMPORTANT:  if you are making more than one color, as we did, you will need separate water/borax mixtures for each color.  Don't try to re-use the borax/water, since the important active ingredients are already used up.

                                    
There will be water left over.  At this point, my recommendation is to take it to the sink.  Grab the "slime", and work it with your hands, allowing the excess water to drip off, until the slime solidifies into the perfect texture.

And, VIOLA!!!!  Satisfied customers!!  Maybe a bit too excited there, Jo.  The kids stretched and pulled, and giggled over their slime for about 20 minutes.  At this point we pulled out the ziplock bags and stored them for future use.  Although the slime didn't seem to stick to their clothing, or make too big a mess, it definitely attracts dirt and hair.  But once it is too dirty to play with, you can always make more!!!

Alright, here is the nitty gritty, so you don't have to scroll through my lovely pictures while creating your masterpiece:

1.  Mix together equal parts glue and water (I suggest 1/8 cup of each).
2.  Add desired food coloring.
3. In a separate bowl, or cup, add 3/4 tsp Borax to 1/2 cup room temperature water.  Stir this until the Borax is completely (or mostly, if you're lazy like me) dissolved.
4. Pour the glue/water mixture into the Borax/water mixture.  Allow the chemicals to bond, then remove slime and let excess water drip off.  Manipulate the slime with your hands until the texture firms up.

DONE!!  Now clean up the mess you made!