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How to Make Homemade Glow in the Dark Slime

Creating slime is an enjoyably gross and messy way to teach young students about the chemistry of polymer gels, which behave like a liquid while remaining solid. Polymer gels form when long molecular chains become entangled with each other through chemical bonding; this produces a cross-linked network that traps liquid. Students who are familiar with the novelty slime sold in toy stores may not realize that these gels are also the basis of everyday products ranging from rubber cement to puddings and jellies. Not only will kids enjoy playing with this luminous, slippery material, but they can also gain insight into the structure of polymer gels by altering the amount of ingredients and noting how the slime’s consistency changes.

Things You'll Need

  • 8-ounce bottle of Elmer’s white glue
  • Medium mixing bowl
  • Distilled water
  • Nontoxic glow-in-the-dark paint (available at most art-supply stores)
  • Measuring cup
  • Borax (available in the detergent aisle of most grocery stores)
  • Resealable plastic bag
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Instructions

    • 1

      Empty the glue bottle into the mixing bowl. Allow it to drain thoroughly. Fill the empty glue bottle with distilled water. Cap the bottle and shake it vigorously for about 10 seconds. Uncap the bottle and empty it into the bowl. Mix the glue solution thoroughly with a spoon or whisk.

    • 2

      Stir two teaspoons of glow-in-the-dark paint into the glue solution.

    • 3

      Pour ½ cup of distilled water into the measuring cup. Add one heaping teaspoon of borax and stir until it stops dissolving. (This recipe requires a saturated borax solution, so it is fine if some of the borax doesn’t dissolve.)

    • 4

      Pour the borax solution slowly into the glue solution, a tablespoon at a time, while stirring the mixture with a spoon or whisk. As the mixture thickens, begin kneading it with your hands. Continue adding the borax solution, and kneading, until the slime reaches the desired consistency. More borax will make the slime firmer; less will make it runnier.

    • 5

      Expose the slime to a strong light for at least 30 seconds. Turn the lights off to see the slime glow.

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