The slime that we made in camp this week with Elmer’s Glue with Borax and water produces a putty-like material. It’s easy to make, fun to play with, and will teach you something about the properties of polymers. Go ahead, give it a try!

1. First mix 2 teaspoons of borax and 1/2 cup of water in a bowl. Set aside for later.  

2. Put 1 Tablespoon of glue into a baggie.  

3. Scoop 1 Tablespoon of plain water and add it to the bag.  

4. Puts 2 drops of food coloring into the bag. 

5. Squeeze the bag gently with hands to mix it. 

6. After mixing, get the bowl of borax water, stir it vigorously, tilt it, and scoop a Tablespoon of the borax water from the very bottom and add it to your baggie.  

7. Seal the bag and squeeze for 2 minutes in order to thoroughly mix the liquids. (now is a good time to observe what is happening to the runny glue. What changes are taking place?)

8. When the slime is thoroughly mixed, over a garbage can, turn the bag inside out and scrape the slime together into a ball with your hand. Throw bag away immediately. 

What’s going on here? Glue is a polymer, which means it’s made up of long chains of molecules. Borax causes the glue chains to link together, making a stretchy, gooey slime!

What cool things can YOU do with slime? Let us know by leaving a comment!