Inspired by the approaching 🚀National Space Day, which is observed annually on the first Friday in May, we are making galaxy slime. Trust me, your kiddo will love this no-mess sensory glittery stretchy goo, and so will you! This DIY version of slime can be easily made at home with materials you probably have handy. And, we are making a non-toxic version of the slime, so no borax is needed!
First, we research how does the galaxy appear from space. Did you know that stars come in different sizes and colors? Blue stars are the hottest and red are the coolest. And, in between, you have yellow stars (our Sun), orange and white. So, although to us, the stars look like twinkling white diamonds, the galaxy is actually sparkling with a rainbow of colors! For our reference in creating our galaxy slime, we are reading the National Geographic Kids First Big Book of Space (buy here) which is our absolute favorite Space book!
What you will need for this super easy home-made 🌌Galaxy slime:
- 1/2 cup of liquid clear glue (buy in bulk here) or use this purple washable glue,
- 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda which helps firm up slime,
- food coloring (add more of blue and purple if you are using a clear glue) and glitter,
- *[last step] add 1 squirt of saline contact solution ~ please, do not add too much as the slime will not be stretchy! You can always add another squirt of the solution, but start with just one ~ for a 1/2 cup of glue, it is generally enough!
- Note: we do not add water! Contact solution is enough! And, add your contact solution last (after you have added all your glitter and food coloring) since once the chemical reaction of bonding and changing the composition begins, it will be difficult to mix the ingredients!)
Slime is made when the activator ~ contact solution mixes with the polymer chains in the glue, creating strong but flexible bonds between the molecules.
What is the ⚗️ science behind the slime? Baking soda makes slime firm and the saline solution is the slime's activator which helps slime get its rubbery texture. Please note, that some recipes use Borax (white, powdery, naturally occurring mineral often called sodium borate), which also has boric acid but we avoid using Borax since it is toxic; and we use contact solution instead. Please note that Borax and boric acid are not the same, although they are from the same boron family. Contact solution, on the other hand, has both boric acid and sodium borate (all members of the boron family) which are the best slime activators, helping to form the stretchy slime your kids love so much!
The slime forms when the mixture of boric acid and sodium borate ~ cross-linking agents both present in the saline solution ~ begin to bond. These two "magical' ingredients create your awesome slime! The last step is to mix your slime with the fork and then knead with your hands. The slime is ready once it starts to pull away from the sides of the mixing bowl.
And, of course, Adrian had to make blue SKY slime, as blue is currently his favorite color.
The ⚗️mystery of glue: glue is a polymer made up of long, repeating identical strands of molecules. These molecules generally freely flow past one another keeping the glue in a liquid form. However, when you add the borate ions to your slime mixture, they begin to connect these long polymer glue strands together, tangling and mixing until the substance is thicker and rubberier like slime and less like the liquid glue you have started with.
This simple slime recipe is an ultimate guide on how to make galaxy slime at home with just a few non-toxic ingredients! And, the best part, this slime is re-usable! Just store it in an air-tight container (like those recycled jam jars) and use it over and over again! We are still using slime that we made six months ago!
I hope this glittery, sparkly, stretchy slime will keep your child stimulated and entertained for hours! Enjoy this sensory fun and don't forget to let your kiddo have a turn (you might get carried away playing with it yourself!)
We also made slime during Christmas holidays, see here ~ 🎅🏻 Santa ❤️ Red Slime DIY Jar (Science 🔬⚗️⚖️ 101 🎥Series 🎇).
For more 🚀SPACE inspired activities and materials, see here our 🌌COSMOS Unit Study.
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