DIY “slime,” or Gak, is everywhere right now, and there’s a great reason for it. This gooey sensory toy is the perfect DIY craft for keeping kiddos entertained during Spring Break or Summer vacation, or even simply providing a calming sensory experience during dreaded Time Out tantrums.
The best part is the only supplies you need, you probably already have laying around in your kitchen!
You’ll need:
- 2 cups Water
- 2 tsp Borax
- 1 10 oz bottle of clear glue (like Elmers)
- Glitter, food coloring for color, or small seed beads for a sensory “crunch”
- 6 drops of a KidSafe® synergy*
- 1 Tbsp Coconut Carrier Oil
Directions:
- Add 6 drops of your favorite KidSafe® oil or synergy to 1 Tbsp Coconut Carrier Oil in a small bowl and set aside.
- Microwave your water until almost boiling. Stir in your Borax until it is completely dissolved (If you want colored slime, add 5-10 drops food coloring to your solution now as well).
- Combine your glue in a separate bowl with 6 drops of your KidSafe® essential oil + Coconut Carrier Oil mix (or your pre-diluted KidSafe® essential oil)
- Pour your hot water and Borax solution over the glue + essential oil mixture. Stir your liquid until a thickened slime forms on top of your mixture.
- Collect your slime with the spoon and transfer to a new bowl. Continue stirring your mixture until all of the slime has been skimmed off, leaving only water in your bowl.
- If you’re adding glitter, knead in your glitter or seed beads to the slime and work it in with your hands.
- Make sure you store your slime in a sealed container such as a Ziploc bag or Tupperware to keep it fresh!
Some great suggestions for scented slime:
Use your imagination (and your child’s) to create your own personalized DIY sensory slime!
I used a fragrance oil and it turned the slime cloudy. Any suggestions on how to keep the slime clear?
Unfortunately since our recipe doesn’t call for fragrance oil and we haven’t tested it we cannot advise.
This sounds awesome! I may have to pull this one out as a summer activity 🙂
We just made this slime for the first time and it’s not stretchy just breaks apart very easily. Any suggestions on how to get it more “slimy”?
Elizabeth, if you followed the directions as written, there should be a good amount of stretch. Perhaps experimenting with the amount of glue or adding a bit more coconut oil. You’ll have to do some experimenting and let us know how it goes!
We use contact solution instead of borax in our slime… any thoughts on how this would affect the recipe?
I have not tried this recipe with contact solution but hopefully we can get some feedback from others.
this looks awesome
I bet my grandkids would enjoy this!
We hope so, Shelly! It’s pretty fun to make and play with!
Trying this tomorrow. Thank you
My kids have been asking to make slime all summer. Can’t wait to try this with them.
Let us know how it works! We love pictures!
My preschoolers are obssessed with slime right now! This recipe for it seems a lot more doable than some of the other ones I’ve seen. I didn’t know you could just use the “clear” Elmer’s glue. They always request some special type (maybe that’s what the “clear” is anyway). Thank you for the idea, and thanks for suggesting the way to incorporate scent!
Hopefully they enjoy it!!
Can’t wait to try this with my daughter!!
Hopefully you enjoy it!
Can I sub anything else for the borax?
My kids are starting to hit the summer boredom weeks. This is perfect for this week! They can’t wait to try this recipe. Thanks Plant Therapy!
Hopefully they enjoy it!
Just saw the post for the silly putty and checked to see if there was a slime post here on the blog. Yeah! WIll try this with my kids.
We hope you have a great time with your kids, making these oily projects.
Can a child between 10 months and 1.5 years play with this as long as they don’t put it in their mouths?
Hello Chantal! Because there are safety precautions that need to be taken when using essential oils on or around kiddos under the age of 2, I am going to suggest you email us directly at [email protected] 🙂