Easy STEM activities: How to make cheap slime project at home.

Cheap slime

Introduction

If you're looking for an exciting and hands-on activity that will captivate your senses and spark your creativity, Makersgeneration is the right place to be!! We provide you with easy STEM activities you can experiment at home.

Today!! Get ready to dive into a world of squishy, stretchy fun! In this post, we'll walk you through a step-by-step guide on how to create your very own homemade slime. With just a few basic ingredients and a sprinkle of imagination, you can craft a material that's perfect for playtime, stress relief, and endless entertainment.

Before we continue, let's briefly look at what exactly slime is:

What is Slime?

Slime is a squishy, stretchy, and often colorful substance that has become incredibly popular for play and sensory enjoyment, especially among children and young adults.

Homemade Slime can be made using various ingredients, but in this post, we will make the process as simple as possible with only two major ingredients which are Cornstarch and Dish soap. When these ingredients are mixed together, they create a polymer network that gives slime its unique characteristics.

Slime!!

Let's roll up our sleeves as we dive into this DIY slime tutorial. But firstly, let's quickly look at the materials we will need to make our cheap slime:

Needed materials:

Cornstarch
Dish soap or liquid detergent
Tablespoon
Mixing bowl
Food coloring (To add color if you're using transparent dish soap)

Needed materials.

Safety Tips:

Always read the labels of the products you're using to ensure they are safe for the intended purpose.
Wash your hands before and after making and playing with slime.
Adult supervision is recommended, especially for young children.

Steps on Making Homemade Slime

Step 1:

Add 2 tablespoons of cornstarch to your mixing bowl. (The quantity of cornstarch determines the size of your slime).

Two tablespoons of cornstarch added to the bowl.

Step 2:

Now add 2 tablespoons of dish soap to the cornstarch.

Two spoons of dish soap added to cornstarch.

Step 3:

Start mixing the two ingredients together - If your mixture is too dry add a bit more soap. If your mixture is too wet add some more cornstarch.

Mix cornstarch and dish soap with a spoon.

Step 4:

Once the slime starts coming together, use your hands to knead and mix it then let your mixture sit for about 2 minutes.

Knead mixture with hand.

Step 5:

Once two minutes have passed, You have your non-stick slime to play with!

Slime mixture after sitting for two minutes.

At first, it might be a bit sticky, but as you knead, the slime will become less sticky and more stretchy.

Slime — Final result.

Video demo

You can store it in an airtight container to prevent it from drying out. If your slime becomes slightly stiff over time, you can knead it in a small amount of water to restore its stretchiness.

How it works

Cornstarch and washing soap slime, or oobleck, work by combining cornstarch's absorbent nature and shear-thickening behavior with the properties of washing soap. This mixture creates a substance that behaves uniquely—solid when force is applied and liquid when at rest. The surfactants in the soap help maintain moisture balance, preventing complete cornstarch absorption. Oobleck is a non-Newtonian fluid, defying the typical characteristics of both liquids and solids, making it a fun and fascinating material for play and exploration.

You can do some research on other slime ideas using various materials like baking soda with glue etc.

Benefits of homemade slime

Here are some common uses and benefits of homemade slime:

Creativity and Imagination: Slime can be molded, stretched, and shaped into various forms, encouraging creative play.
Stress Relief: The tactile sensation of squishing and kneading slime can be soothing and provide stress relief for both children and adults.
Science and Learning: Making slime at home involves simple chemistry concepts, like mixing ingredients and observing changes in texture and consistency.
Fine Motor Skills: Manipulating and playing with slime can help develop fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination.
Educational Play: Slime can be used as a hands-on tool for teaching concepts like color mixing, textures, and even basic math by measuring and adjusting ingredients.
Social Interaction: Sharing and playing with slime can be a social activity, encouraging kids to interact, share their creations, and work together on projects.
Art and Craft Projects: Slime can be incorporated into art and craft projects, adding an interesting and tactile element to creations.

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