Slime is awesome.

It really is.

That lovely gungy, stretchy, fluid feeling.

As it thickens and thins in your hands.

There’s not a kid from two to twelve who doesn’t love it, is there?

AND there’s some cool science behind it. (See below.)

The only thing is … slime can be tricky to make.

With glue and chemicals and stuff.

And sometimes – often – we just need simple, don’t we?

And we don’t have glue.

And aren’t quite sure about the chemicals.

And actually want to be able to leave kids to it …

To explore.

And see what happens.

And make their own thing …

And this is where simple slime comes in.

It’s messy yes, unquestionably.

So perfect for outdoor fun.

And a massive hit at our street party.

But kids can make it themselves, even littlies.

It’s just flour … and water …

… AND corn flour, corn starch in the USA.

Plus, if you like, food colouring.

Mixed together in a bowl.

In whatever quantities your kids choose.

Yes, the more corn flour they add the more scientifically slime like it will be.

But it’s much more fun for them to discover that themselves.

And you know what?

Your kids can still make their own slime even if you don’t have corn flour in your cupboard.

Just give them some washing up liquid to add to the mix.

And now – in case you’re interested – here’s the science bit …

 

The Science of Slime

The lovely fluid feeling of slime comes from constantly changing viscocity – or thickness.

Because slime is what’s known as a non-Newtonian fluid.

Which basically means slime will have one thickness when you’re pummelling it.

And a different thickness when you’re not.

Cool stuff, huh?

If you want to explore slime further do check out Little Bins for Little Hands.

Sarah McClelland, who writes it, truly is the Queen of Slime 😉

And has loads of ideas for exploring the science of slime with your kids.

I hope your kids have fun with their simple slime.

For more super simple ideas for play follow me on Pinterest and check out these posts: 

• 101 Ways To Play Outdoors
• Fall Leaf Sun Catchers
• 30 Flower Crafts
• Vegetable Growing Fun With Kids
• 30 Cool Ideas For Painting Outdoors