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Home » Kid Crafts » How to Make Slime

How to Make Slime

July 6, 2020 By Jamie Dorobek 35 Comments

This post was sponsored by Elmer’s. All opinions are my own.

Slime is all the rage with the middle school kids right now, so I decided to make a batch (or 3) with Maxwell and see what he thought about the slime craze. (Spoiler alert: He loves it!)  It also happend to be the perfect quarantine activity and entertains humans of all ages. I teamed up with Elmer’s to make slime that is perfect for little hands. We are sharing how to make slime with 4 ingredients you likely have in your home right now. There are also lots of learning activities you can do with slime, our favorite proved to be a lesson on mixing colors!

How to make easy slime

Slime supplies

  • 4 fl oz Elmer’s School Glue
  • Baking soda
  • Contact solution (Any brand will work!)
  • Food coloring
  • A bowl
  • Something to mix with (Chop stick, popsicle stick)

How to Make Slime

Step 1- Pour glue

Empty the entire 4 FL OZ container of Elmer’s glue into the bowl. Maxwell loved this part and was very patient to let the last drips drip out of the bottle.

How to make slime

Step 2- Add baking soda

Next, add a half tablespoon of baking soda and mix well with popsicle stick or chopstick.

How to make slime

Step 3- Add food coloring

Now, it’s time to choose what color of slime you want. This was a tough choice for Maxwell, so we decided on making two batches! The first red and the second batch blue.  Then we mixed them together to make purple! 

how to make slime without borax

Mixing the food coloring into the glue and baking soda concoction is mesmerizing! Take your time mixing the color, it’s fun.

how to make slime without borax

Step 4- Add contact solution

The last step is to add 1 TBSP of contact solution. Mix until the slime forms and gets harder to mix. Give this step some time, the slime will likely take 6-8 minutes to form. Take the slime out of the bowl and knead it with your hands for a minute or so. It’s the perfect slime texture, doesn’t stick to everything, but pulls apart perfectly!

how to make slime without borax

Maxwell loved playing catch with the slime, making imprints in the slime, and investigating how far it could stretch. Slime was a winner in Casa de Dorobek! Someone else also loved the slime, but she really just wanted to eat it, which is not a good idea. Can you see Max trying to get his cars in the slime? He loved making the wheel imprints!

how to make slime without borax

I would love to get my hands on some clear Elmer’s Glue and add tons of glitter! Or even Glitter glue!?!

how to make slime without borax
(Photography by Sarah Schiffman)

If needed you can always add ¼ TBSP contact solution to make the slime less sticky. Get ready to make batch after batch, slime is addicting! And if you are looking for more slime recipes, Elmer’s has a few really fun ones including galaxy slime!

* This post contains affiliate links. 

 

Filed Under: 1 Hour C.R.A.F.T.'s, Kid Crafts

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Comments

  1. raquelrosalas says

    April 4, 2019 at 12:20 pm

    cool i like it and im a critick

    Reply
  2. Nana says

    March 29, 2019 at 8:39 am

    I made this several times now. It turned out great. Thanks for the recipe.

    Reply
  3. Achaia says

    September 26, 2018 at 9:25 am

    Wow! I did not expect for it to be this good! Thanks for the tutorial!

    Reply
  4. Jeannie Wallace says

    July 27, 2018 at 7:37 am

    I’m sorry you are getting such negativity from people who can’t follow directions and have no patience Jamie. My girls think that slime is the bomb. They can’t make enough. There are countless colors and countless uses. It’s crazy but even i love it. Remind me again how you can be a mom and not like when your kids have fun?? Also Jamie, i will research where i found the edible slime so your daughter will be safe to have fun too. Keep letting your kids make messes honey, it’ll be what you miss when they’re grown.

    Reply
  5. Nathaniel says

    March 4, 2018 at 8:03 pm

    Does it have to be Elmer’s glue?

    Reply
  6. Sportstar2271 says

    February 8, 2018 at 4:49 pm

    Try borax

    Reply
    • Jamie Dorobek says

      February 10, 2018 at 3:35 pm

      Contact solution has borax in it, so this recipe does have borax.

      Reply
      • Windy Blair says

        December 21, 2018 at 1:46 pm

        is the recipe correct when it says 1/2 Tablespoon? Is it a half of a teaspoon? I am using this for a science experiment and it also turned out like rubber. I read a comment that said the same thing and you said to kepp kneeding it, but no matter how hard and long I kneed it, it kind of makes it worse! what did I do wrong?!

        Reply
  7. Charlene says

    December 26, 2017 at 5:43 pm

    Did thos with my children…. Just expeirent and keep adding a lil of each at a time common sense ppl there are only 3 ingrediants…

    Reply
  8. Gerry says

    November 20, 2017 at 6:49 pm

    When ever I try to make slime, I freeze it and it turns out all liquidity.

    Reply
  9. Rachel says

    November 16, 2017 at 9:32 pm

    You do realize that contact solution contains borate, which is the same active ingredient in borax. You are doing the same chemistry with borax as you are with contact solution

    Reply
    • Jamie Dorobek says

      November 17, 2017 at 2:11 pm

      I recently watched a video about it! I will try and find it and link to it. The video basically said that borax is only bad if you are using it excessively, but using it to make slime a few times a year is no big deal. Thanks for letting us know!

      Reply
  10. Vivian says

    August 11, 2017 at 6:34 pm

    My 10 year old granddaughter loves this recipe.
    She made slime for the first time. THANKS!!

    Reply
    • Jamie Dorobek says

      August 11, 2017 at 10:39 pm

      Yay! So glad she loved it!

      Reply
  11. Breana says

    August 7, 2017 at 11:45 pm

    What kind of contact solution do we buy?
    From the comments I have seen they are complaining about how liquid and gloopy it is……

    Reply
  12. Natalie says

    July 10, 2017 at 7:15 pm

    Making this now exactly as described above. We have been stirring for 15 minutes and it is still totally liquid. 🙁

    Reply
    • Jamie Dorobek says

      July 10, 2017 at 8:35 pm

      Pick the crazy glob up with your hands and knead it for 5-10 more minutes! It will come together 🙂 I’m realizing the brand of contact solution does make a big difference!

      Reply
      • Laurel says

        June 11, 2018 at 12:33 pm

        Yes! Your contact solution has to have borate or boric acid. The first time I tried to make slime I was using a contact solution that didn’t have it and it never worked no matter how much contact solution I added.

        Reply
  13. Adian says

    June 23, 2017 at 7:26 pm

    Terrible! It turned into a goopy mess. Do not use!

    Reply
    • Jamie Dorobek says

      June 24, 2017 at 11:08 am

      Add a few more drops of contact solution and continue to mix! You were so close!!

      Reply
  14. Jonathan W. says

    June 20, 2017 at 1:56 am

    Just wanted to thank you for this awesome tutorial. I love how you show the kids doing it and having fun! It was featured on my website, and it was our favorite out of the three we selected!

    Reply
  15. Jared Cole says

    June 16, 2017 at 9:03 pm

    Yea did this exactly and it turned out like rubber. Lame waste of money.

    Reply
    • Jamie Dorobek says

      June 20, 2017 at 10:37 am

      You just need to knead the slime a little more and add a few more drops of contact solution! Your slime was almost there!

      Reply
      • Bonnie says

        June 21, 2017 at 2:35 pm

        Did not turn out. I kept adding baking soda and its still sticky. Should I add my contact solution

        Reply
        • Jamie Dorobek says

          June 21, 2017 at 9:04 pm

          Oh no, I’m sorry! If you try again, don’t add extra baking soda. Add more contact solution and knead with your hands.

          Reply
          • Bonnie says

            June 24, 2017 at 9:32 am

            I’m using glitter glue it still did not turn out. Should I add more contact solution

        • Eva says

          December 28, 2018 at 12:58 pm

          Your contact solution probably did not have boric acid. The saline/contact solution has to have boric acid to form

          Reply
  16. Shannon says

    May 5, 2017 at 1:32 am

    It is a solution that you put inside the contact lenses house(the tubs that you put them in) a bottle is really cheap and easy to find!!

    Reply
    • Jamie Dorobek says

      May 5, 2017 at 11:44 am

      Yes!

      Reply
  17. Anna says

    April 17, 2017 at 5:00 am

    I hated my kids coming home from playgroup when they had been playing with slime. If I remember rightly they called it gloopy glue at my child’s playgroup. I’m glad my kids are growing out of such messy things now!

    Reply
    • Charlene says

      December 26, 2017 at 5:41 pm

      Kids will be kids and the messy things are the things they will remember and being a mother of 3 i know that is when they will be having the most fun… I feel sorry for the children whos parents dont allow them to do such activities.

      Reply
  18. Peggy says

    April 12, 2017 at 5:55 pm

    What is contact solution?

    Reply
    • Jamie Dorobek says

      April 12, 2017 at 6:39 pm

      It’s a saline solution for people who wear contact lens. A bottle costs a couple dollars at any grocery store!

      Reply
      • Bella says

        March 31, 2019 at 9:52 pm

        The best type to buy is called re-nū it has a certain chemical in it that will keep the slime from becoming runny

        Reply

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Hi, I'm Jamie!
I Create Really Awesome Free Things for your home, wardrobe, kitchen, and kids in Austin, TX with the sometimes help of Andy!
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