The holiday season is officially upon us, and we’ve got some super fun holiday STEAM activities that we can’t wait to share with you in the coming weeks! Last week, we celebrated Thanksgiving with Turkey Balloon Races. The first night of Hanukkah is in just a few days, so let’s learn about chemistry while making Hanukkah Slime from Little Bins for Little Hands!
So, what’s the science behind slime? You will be mixing “slime activators” with glue. When they come together in a process called cross-linking, they will form an ooey, gooey, stretchy slime. How does it work? The molecules in the glue flow past each other, keeping the glue liquid. When you add the “slime activators,” the molecules start to connect with one another, making the mixture less liquid, and more thick and rubbery.
Let’s get started so we can watch the slime science in action! Here’s what you’ll need to make your Hanukkah Slime:
- Clear Washable School Glue (think Elmer’s clear glue)
- Silver and/or Blue Glitter
- Small (1.5 oz) Silver and/or Blue Glitter Glue Bottles (or substitute with extra glitter)
- 1/2 cup of Water
- 1/4-1/2 cup of Liquid Starch
- Silver and Blue Sequins, Mini-Dreidels, or Hanukkah Confetti
Let’s get started making our blue slime! If you have blue glitter glue, empty it into a ½ cup measurer, then fill the rest of the cup with your clear glue. If you don’t have glitter glue, just measure out a full ½ cup of clear glue. Now add ½ cup of water and mix together.
Next, if you have any sequins or confetti, add them in, then add your liquid starch (slime activator). Watch as the slime starts to form almost instantly! Mix the ingredients together and really knead the slime to get the best consistency. A good trick is to add a couple of drops of liquid starch to your hands before digging in. Use the same recipe to make your silver slime.
What an awesome chemistry lesson and continuation of our holiday celebrations! We’ll be back next week with some more holiday-themed STEAM!
Check out the full activity and a more in-depth explanation of the science behind it HERE.
As always, get as creative as you want, and above all, have lots of fun learning together!
We’ll see you right back here next Saturday for another STEAM Saturday activity! Scroll through the rest of our website to learn how Critchlow Adkins is Building Brighter Futures for the children and families we serve!
