DIY Slime to Celebrate 4th of July

Keep those little hands busy during the 4th of July holiday and throughout the summer with this patriotic slime recipe. Encourage your child to explore different color and add-in combinations. Here are a few of our favorites:

Clear glue with red or blue food coloring added in
Clear glue with red, white and blue glitter (for sparkly slime!)
Blue glue with silver star-shaped confetti and red confetti sprinkled in
Glitter glue (either blue or red) with red, white or blue beads

Not only is playing with slime a fun sensory activity, but slime also makes a festive party favor. Store your homemade slime in air-tight jars or containers to hand out as gifts or to keep for the slime fan in your home.

Directions

Help your child squeeze the entire bottle of glue into a bowl. If you are using white or clear glue and want to make colorful slime, add at least 5 to 7 drops of red or blue food coloring.

Add ½ teaspoon of baking soda into the bowl. Ask your child to mix the glue and baking soda well using either a whisk, wooden spoon, or popsicle stick.

Now it’s time to add in all the fun additions you’ve decided to mix into your slime. You can use sparkly glitter, beads, or mini clay sprinkles. Keep in mind, the smaller the add-ins the better they will mix with your slime, but items should be age-appropriate. If the extra add-ins are too big, they can tumble out while playing and stretching your slime.

Activate your slime by slowly adding contact lens solution. If you want, use a dropper or small spoon to add a few drops at a time. Mix the ingredients together slowly. Adding small amounts of contact solution at a time is important to achieving the perfect slime consistency. If you add too much too quickly, the slime will get hard. Take your time and do this step slowly. Note: You may not need to use the entire amount of the 1 ½ tablespoons of contact lens solution.

Once the slime starts sticking to itself, pick up the slime and knead it with your hands until it starts to become less liquidy and more goopy and solid. It will take a few kneads and stretches to stop the slime from sticking to your hands.

If the slime continues to be too sticky, add a few drops of the contact lens solution. Keep kneading and stretching your slime as needed. You’re done when the slime no longer sticks to your hands and stays together when stretched.

Once you're done playing with the slime for the day, store it in a plastic container with an air-tight lid or in a sealable plastic bag. Be sure to wash your hands before and after playing with the slime!

Explore Further

Make this recipe twice with your child to create a unique two-color slime. Create two different batches of slime, each a different color, then twist your slimes together!