It's getting to be sports season again, and though we don't really have any favorites around here (go, {my favorite sports team}, GO!) it's still fun to create projects to learn about them and pretend that we know something about sports. Using just a few ingredients, we decided to make some "I Spy" Sports Slime! For you homeschoolers, this makes for a great science project!!
Making slime is pretty simple, and my daughter loved helping! To make this "I Spy" Sports Slime, all you need is:
Elmer's Clear School Glue (5 oz)
1 1/2 tsp Borax (use 1 tsp for more "gloopy" slime)
Water
Elmer's Board Mate® Glitter Set
Sport-Themed Buttons
*You can add in food coloring if you want colored slime, but when we tried it, it was a total fail. The slime was a beautiful bright pink, and so were my hands for the next couple of days. We couldn't play with it at all without getting food coloring everywhere. So, if you want color, I'd recommend using the Elmer's Classic Glitter Glues instead as another option for a colored slime.
**This slime is NOT edible and the buttons could be a choking hazard, so I don't recommend letting small children play with it. Be sure to wash your hands and work/play space well after playing.
To make the "I Spy" Sports Slime, pour the entire container of glue into a large bowl. Pour some warm water into the empty container, put the lid back on, and shake. This will get all the excess glue out of the bottle and will measure the water you need. Pour the water into the glue and stir until combined. Add in the buttons and glitter (we used the entire silver container) into the glue mixture. This is where you could use colors for your favorite sports team or let your child get creative and add their favorite colors in.
In a separate cup or bowl, mix together 1/2 cup of warm water and 1 1/2 teaspoons of Borax. Stir until the Borax is almost dissolved.
While stirring the glue mixture, slowly pour in the Borax mixture. The glue will start to get really thick and clump together. So much so, that you'll need to use your hands to mix it all together. Pull the clumps out and squish them together in your hands. Keep squishing it together with your hands and kneading until it's smooth and no longer sticky.
It should be similar to play dough, but will slowly "melt" when it's not being moved around. My daughter compared it to the scene in "Frozen" when Olaf starts melting by the fire...
Now your kids are free to play! Stretch it, squish it, and have fun! Since the slime is clear, you can easily see all the sports buttons. My daughter loved playing "I Spy" with different sports balls, and counting how many of each she could see after kneading the slime around.
The slime is moldable, but won't hold it's shape for long! Squish your hands into it and leave a hand print, or create a shape and watch it melt into a blob. Your kids will be entertained for quite a while.
Another fun thing to do with the slime is to hold the blob up in the air and watch it ooze back down to the table top! Count the sports balls as they fall, or name the kind of sports balls you can see as they go. The possibilities for play are really endless!
The "I Spy" Sports Slime fit comfortably into a quart-sized Ziploc bag. It should stay good for quite a while as long as you keep it sealed. I've also heard that keeping it in the fridge will help it stay good longer.
