Learning through play: How to make butter slime

If playing is the best way to learn, then butter slime is peak teaching. Butter slime is a popular and easy-to-make type of slime that provides hours of entertainment but also helps strengthen kids’ fine motor skills. Here's how you can make butter slime at home.

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Ingredients for butter slime

• 1/2 cup white school glue

• 1 tablespoon of clay (preferably yellow or light brown)

• 1 teaspoon of baking soda

• 1 tablespoon of contact lens (saline) solution

Steps to make butter slime

1. In a bowl, mix the glue and clay until they are well combined.

2. Add the baking soda and stir until fully incorporated.

3. Gradually add the contact lens solution, stirring as you go. Keep adding until the slime starts to form and pull away from the bowl.

4. Knead the slime with your hands until it becomes smooth and stretchy, similar to butter.

5. If the slime is too sticky, add a little more saline solution and continue kneading.

6. Your butter slime is now ready to play with! Store it in an airtight container when not in use.

Learning opportunities

Making butter slime involves measuring, mixing, and fine motor skills like squeezing and kneading. You can involve your child at every step of the process and let them take the lead in making their own batch of butter slime. It’s a fun activity that also teaches about following instructions, experimenting with different textures and colors, and problem-solving if the slime is too sticky or not stretchy enough.

The science behind slime

Slime is made by creating a chemical reaction between the glue and the contact lens solution. Saline solution contains borate ions, which bind with the glue molecules to create long chains of polymers, giving slime its stretchy and gooey texture. This simple science experiment is a cool way to introduce basic chemistry concepts and encourage kids to investigate more scientific explanations for everyday things.