Slime Posts

Educational Pop It Activities

Educational Pop It Activities

Strategic Pop It Game-

This is a two player game.  The goal is to get your partner to pop the last bubble on the pop it toy, allowing you to win!

Players take turns popping bubbles on the pop it.  During your turn, you may pop 1, 2, or 3 bubbles but they must be in the same row. 

Players alternate taking turns until there are only a few bubbles left.  Be strategic in your choice of how many bubbles you pop on your fidget to force your opponent to pop the last bubble.

 

Phonological Awareness Activity-

Phonological awareness is the ability to notice, think about, and work with the individual sounds, or phonemes spoken words. This ability is critical to pre reading skills.  When given a word orally, the child will pop a bubble for each sound they hear in the word. Dog= /d/ /o/ /g/. would mean 3 bubbles should be popped.  The pops correlate to sounds rather than letters.  For example "boat" has 3 sounds but 4 letters.  3 bubbles should be popped. Play at the level of your child.  For example, children= /ch/ /i/ /l/ /d/ /r/ /e/ /n/.  Children should be focused on the sounds in the word, rather than the more advanced phonics skill of connecting letters to those sounds.

 

5 Ways Kids Learn With Slime

5 Ways Kids Learn With Slime

Here are a few activities you can try with slime and children:

Slime Letters, Numbers, Shapes & Scissor Skills: Use cookie cutters or your hands to form shapes, letters, and numbers to identify and describe. You can also roll out the slime into a long worm and use scissors to cut it into pieces. Using scissors can strengthen bilateral coordination, and scissor skills.

Buttons, Beads, & Beans: Add buttons, beads, or uncooked noodles or beans to your slime encourage the proper pencil grasp, and provide proprioceptive input. Knead in objects with your hands. Ask your child to remove the objects with their fingers or tweezers.

Coordination: Patting and squishing slime between both hands promotes bilateral coordination.

Sensory Play: Sensory play is any activity that evokes the senses: sight, smell, sound, touch, and taste. Slime engages almost all the senses in one activity. Why is this important? Sensory play helps children learn about attributes of different items, calms anxiety, builds neural pathways, and improves fine and gross fine motor skills to name a few!

Build Vocabulary: Talk about the colors, shapes, textures, sounds, and scents experienced while playing with slime.

 

Interesting Slime Facts

Interesting Slime Facts

Slime Likes To Rest

Many types of slime are not feeling their best the day they are made. The day after slime is made, your slime is usually a better texture. Clear slime needs to rest for weeks before it make it to your door. When clear slime is made or used in play, bubbles are produced causing your slime to be foggy. Once clear slime has had time to sit for a long period of time, the bubbles rise and the slime will become clear once again.

 

Icee Slime and Jelly Slimes

 These slimes are made with instant snow. As you play with these types of slime, your warm hands may slightly melt the snow causing a sticky feeling. A small amount of activator may need to be kept nearby while playing with these slimes. Activator will help with the stickiness, and return your slime to it’s original state.

Holdability

Some slimes are more holdable than other slimes, meaning they will not drip but instead hold their shape when held. Butter slimes and Snow Fizz slimes are typically very holdable and make great choices for younger slimers.

There Are So Many Types Of Slime!

When people think of slime, they think of the drippy, sticky mess from the store. Homemade slime comes in so many texture and should NOT be a sticky mess! Some slimes include special clay that makes them inflate, makes them soft, and creamy, and makes them very holdable. Others have crunchy artificial snow or even instant snow for drizzly slime. Slime can have styrofoam balls or bingsu beads. The quantity of these add-ins create so many unique slime textures, making slime such an amazing toy, and stress reliever.

Sense Of Slime

Did you know slime is one of the most incredible toys because it engages 4 of our senses and 5 if you include eatible slimes! Slime is often colored, designed, glittered, sprinkled, and decorated to look like a piece of art to please our sense of sight. Most slime is scented. These scents can energize, calm, or even recall memory incorporating our sense of smell. A variety of slime textures are available to enjoy. From squishy, and smooth, to rough or bumpy, there is a texture for everyone. Finally, slime frequently has a sound! Clicks, pops, crunches, and sizzles are common sounds all made with slime. In fact, there are videos created entirely of slime sounds called ASMR, or autonomous sensory meridian response. Pleasant sounds that people refer to as a “brain message”. What other toy or activity can you think of that can activate so many of our senses at once?

How Can I Make Slime At Home?

How Can I Make Slime At Home?

Basic White Glue Slime

 

1 small bottle of Elmer’s Glue

1 cup of warm water

1/2 t borax

Mixing bowl and spatula

Optional Add Ins:

*food dye

*scent

*shave cream (fluffy slime)

*cornstarch (thicker slime)

 

 

  1. Dissolve 1/2 t of borax in 1 cup of warm water to make your slime activator.

  2. Pour glue bottle into your mixing bowl.

  3. Include any optional add ins from above.

  4. Mix!

  5. Use a pipette or spoon to add in small amounts of your activator mixture to your glue mix.

  6. Mix throughly.

  7. Continue to add more activator slowly. Mix after each addition.

  8. Your slime will begin to come together and pull away from the bowl.

  9. When your slime begins to form but is still sticky, it is time to get in with your hands and mix, pull, and stretch.

  10. Continue to add small amounts activator until you have a holdable ball of slime!

*Pro tip! Add unscented lotion to help your slime become more stretchy!

 

Basic Clear Glue Slime (This is a more challenging slime to master!)

 

1 small bottle of Clear Elmer’s Glue

1 cup of warm water

1/4 t borax

Mixing bowl and spatula

Optional Add Ins:

*food dye

*scent

*glitter

*beads

 

 

  1. Dissolve 1/4 t of borax in 1 cup of warm water to make your slime activator.

  2. Pour glue bottle into your mixing bowl. Fill your glue bottle half way with water and add to your glue.

  3. Include any optional add ins from above.

  4. Mix!

  5. Use a pipette or spoon to add in small amounts of your activator mixture to your glue mix.

  6. Mix throughly.

  7. Continue to add more activator slowly. Mix after each addition. Clear glue activates quicker than white glue. Take your time before adding more activator!

  8. Your slime will begin to come together and pull away from the bowl.

  9. When your slime begins to form but is still sticky, it is time to get in with your hands and mix, pull, and stretch.

  10. Continue to add small amounts activator until you have a holdable ball of slime!

    *Pro tip! Unscented clear slime will be more clear than scented slime. Scented slime will fog your slime slightly. Let your clear slime sit for at least a week for the clearest look! The bubbles created when making this slime will rise to the top and leave a much clearer slime than the day you make it.



 

Slime Supplies

Slime Supplies

There are may places where slime supplies can be found! When buying supplies, you will want to shop around for the best prices and options. Prices fluctuate all of the time. What is a good deal now, can increase in price tomorrow. Below are a few places to check out for basic slime supplies and accessories.

Dollar Tree offers all kinds of unique slime add ins. You can find foam beads, sponges, small characters, plastic party favors, and glitter. The supplies my vary and may not always be in stock, but this is definetely a shop to check out for great deals.

Amazon is a fast and convienant way to recieve slime supplies. You may pay a little higher price for the convienance but you can usuallly buy everything needed to make slime quickly and from the comfort of home. Amazon offers kits that include charms, glitter, and premade slime in one package. If you prefer to make slime from scratch, glue to make your own slime can be purchased for a reasonable price. Add ins to design and customize your slime can be so much fun and really makes your slime personalized and a slime you will love. Clay can be added to your slime if you enjoy making slay or butter slimes. Amazon has a variety of brands to choose from to make your slime unique.

Walmart can be a fantastic shop for slime supplies. Glue can be purchsed for a great price and offer a variety of sizes. Borax, or starch can be found to use in your activator. Charms, glitter, and add ins can be purchased here as well for individual slimes.

 

 

 

Which Slime Is For Me?

Which Slime Is For Me?

Thick and Glossy Slime

This is a white base slime that is thick but still stretchy. This slime is fun for table play, poking, and pulling. This slime can also often make bubbles which creates a popping sound white playing. Glitter and other add ins do not show up well in this slime as the white glue base hides them.

 

Butter or Slay Slime

This is a holdable slime with a very soft and smooth texture from the addition of clay added into the slime.

Cloud and Cloud Cream Slimes

These slimes are a white base slime with instant snow added. This creates a fluffy soft slime that can drizzle like a snow falling from a cloud. It becomes more fluffy as it is stretched.

The cloud cream has less snow added and does not drizzle well but instead makes soft cake batter texture.

Clear Slime

Clear slime is a thicker base that can show off pigments, beads, glitter, or fimo add ins making this a beautiful slime! This slime must be stretched more slowly as it is prone to tearing. It is a more sensitive glue that can be easily over-activated or even melted.

Jelly and Icee Slimes

This is a clear base with the addition of a small amount of instant snow. The addition of snow helps the stretch of a typical clear slime. The texture looks just like jelly!

Icee slimes have even more instant snow added creating a more wet slime with an icee texture.

Crunchy Slime

This is a thicker slow stretch slime that can make wonderful noises based on the add ins included in the slime. The add ins may be styrofoam beads, fishbowl beads, or bingsu beads.

Jelly Cube Slime

 

This slime had foam cubes added in to give the slime a squishy texture.

Snow Fizz Slime

 

Snow fizz slime includes the add in of artificial snow. The artificial snow creates a rougher texture in the slime and makes the slime holdable. It also creates a crunchy, sizzle sound while playing with the slime.

5 Benefits of Slime For Adults

5 Benefits of Slime For Adults

Why are so many adults playing with slime?

Slime is not just a kid’s toy! It can benefit our daily lives.

Stress Relief: Like a stress ball, when you squeeze slime in your palm, then release, and repeat this pattern, you release stress and tension.

Refocus: Slime allows you to focus on something other than the stress you might be feeling. When you take a break from stress, endorphins are released making you feel happy.

ASMR: Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR) can provide benefits to our mental health. The crunch and squish sounds that are made while playing with slime promote a calm and more relaxed mindset.

Aromatherapy: Slimes are often scented. Scents have been known to evoke memories, aid in sleep, calm agitation, or even energize.

It is Fun!: Take time to play, and enjoy yourself. You deserve it.