How to make slime (and why your kids are so obsessed with the stuff)

Move over fidget spinners, there’s a new craze on the Internet block and looks likely to stick (geddit?) around. Welcome to the weird and wacky world of DIY slime.

If you’re a parent you’ll likely already have a house full of the stretchy, swirly, squeezy stuff. But if you’re yet to experience the delights of slime a quick search of the hashtag #slime on Instagram will throw up over 4 million posts.

There amongst the #foodporn and #catsofinstagram, the tags #slimerecipe and #slimetutorial each rack up another 40,000 posts.

Meanwhile over on the Internet there are more than 6 million search results for ‘slime’ on YouTube and ‘How to make slime’ has become the most searched-for question of 2017 by Yahoo UK users. That’s THE most searched for question this year. Amazing.

While the trend may have exploded of late, slimes and putties are far from new. Hands up who remembers making homemade slime with cornflour and water as a kid? And everyone remembers children’s TV presenters getting gunged with slime in the 1990s and early 2000s. We blame you Nickelodeon!

New gen slime is way more than just a cool kids science experiment though. According to experts putty-like slimes have long been used for a variety of therapeutic health purposes.

Occupational therapists recommend it as a way of developing strength in their patients’ grip, and it is also said to be a stress-relieving tool for people who are prone to fidgeting or suffer from anxiety.

But for children slime is just plain cool. And the fact that they can make it themselves is even cooler.

If your little ones are asking for craft glue and borax (aka sodium borate), chances are they are caught up in the global do-it-yourself slime craze.

Online recipes for the homemade gloop have become so popular with kids there are actually reports of shops running out of glue supplies.

Ingredients in DIY slime recipes include shaving cream, shampoo, foaming soap and cornflour. While the creative can add glitter, food colouring and even make-up.

But how do you know which slime recipes are actually worth bothering with? We’ve scoured the Internet for the best DIY slime makes, so you don’t have to. You’re oh so welcome.

The non-borax one

Also known as sodium borate, borax has a range of household uses including as an insecticide, a stain remover and a deodoriser. But borax, a naturally occurring mineral, is also a mild irritant and there have been concerns over children’s safety following reports of it inducing burns.

Though many experts insist borax is safe if it is diluted and not ingested, if you want to be super careful here’s a non-borax DIY slime recipe for DIY Fluffy slime from SoCraftastic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ku92-j7aOOQ

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 1/2 Tea spoon of baking soda

• ½ cup of shaving foam

• ½ cup of white PVA glue (118ml)

• 3 pumps of foaming hand soap (optional)

• Contact lens solution (around ½ tea spoon)

• Your choice of food colouring

Here’s how it’s done:

• Find a bowl or cup to mix your slime in.

• Pour in the glue

• Add 1⁄2 Tea spoon of baking soda.

• Add the shaving foam and mix.

• After mixing, add your choice of food colouring.

• Mix and/or add more food colouring until you get the colour you want.

• If using, add in the foaming hand soap.

• Add in a few drops of contact lens solution. There is no specific measure but judge until the slime gets non-sticky.

• Mix until slime forms and it begins to get harder to mix.

• Take the slime out and begin kneading with both of your hands.

• Enjoy your slime!

The super simple one

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=hSTy-AE7Aao

This recipe for slime has only two ingredients — cornflour and liquid soap. If you’re trying to avoid soaps altogether, you can use cornflour and water for a similar effect.

You will need:

• Cornflour

• Liquid soap

• Food colouring

Here’s how it’s done:

Keep adding the cornflour and soap until you get the slime like consistency you desire.

The fancy glittery one

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GC5Gez-_JCw

• 1/2 Tbsp of baking soda

• 1 1⁄2 Tbsp of contact solution

• 1 fl oz PVA Glitter Glue

Here’s what you do:

• Find a bowl to mix your slime in.

• Pour the Glitter Glue into the bowl.

• Add 1⁄2 Tbsp of baking soda and mix.

• Add 1 Tbsp of contact solution.

• Mix until slime forms and it begins to get harder to mix.

• Take the slime out and begin kneading with both of your hands.

• If needed, add 1⁄4 TBSP Contact solution to make the slime less sticky.

Top 10 most searched-for questions for by Yahoo users in 2017

Homemade slime isn’t the only thing Yahoo users have been asking about. Here are the other most searched-for questions of the year:

1. How to make slime

2. How old is Debbie McGee?

3. Emoji meanings

4. What is a hung Parliament?

5. Where is Broadchurch filmed?

6. How old is The Queen?

7. Where is Cape Verde?

8. How old is Donald Trump?

9. What is the minimum wage?

10. What time is the McGregor fight?

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