Slime putty. It's the perfect indoor activity to keep the kids entertained any time of the year; children will love playing with it and so will you! Make some for March 2 and call it oobleck in honor of Dr Seuss' birthday and his book Bartholomew and the Oobleck for a fun way to celebrate Read Across America Day!
We make slime putty seasonally and each time I am aghast at how such a simple concoction can be so entertaining! Whipping up a batch is a great opportunity to engage the kids while making fun memories. I have tried many recipes, some containing borax, some cornstarch, and all of them glue, but the most recent recipe I tried has definitely been the best! I allow the children to take part in the creation of the slime putty because, of course, getting there is half the fun, not to mention that doing something yourself automatically ups the coolness factor.
What to do:
- Empty a full bottle of white glue into a bowl.
- Sprinkle enough baking soda to cover the top.
- Add choice(s) of food coloring.
- Stir.
- Add contact lens solution several squirts at a time while mixing (if you add too much the putty will break apart rather than stretch). It will automatically start binding and forming putty at this point.
- Rub the contact lens solution between palms and knead the putty until the perfect consistency is achieved.
Yes, contact lens solution... it worked like a charm! I love to talk about color mixing when you add food coloring. This time we made a beautiful teal hue by mixing blue and green. We have made slime putty for Thanksgiving colored orange with gold glitter, pink for Easter, and I am thinking about green for "Oobleck" in honor of Dr. Seuss' upcoming birthday on March 2. On occasion we have added glitter for a sparkly effect, or kept the slime putty in a mason jar where we added a face for a fun variation. The putty will save in a container for several weeks, if you can keep it clean for that long!
No matter when we make slime putty, it is always an interesting learning experience. We are sure to talk about the properties of matter. Is it a liquid because it fills the container it is put in, or is it a solid because you are able to hold it? We have tried to use cookie cutters with it, held it up high and timed how long it takes for it to hit the table from a certain height, and made texture rubbings and prints on it (with wheels mainly). It has also served as a blanket for robots made of Magformers and water through which princess feet have walked. Not to mention, when mashed with a fist into a glass jar it creates the most hilarious audible sounds that keep children rolling in laughter!
The mysteries of slime putty abound... not really, but it does lead to tons of sweet giggles filling my kitchen, time for me to clean up said kitchen, and is a sensory experience that my children come back to on their own throughout the week to enjoy over and over again!
