Love fun, hands on activities? Make starry night sky slime for a perfect hands-on sensory activity for an outer space theme or just for an awesome science activity.
Slime is a great tactile and sensory activity. I actually prefer it over play dough because of the inviting surface and easy clean-up. Slime is a rubbery and smooth texture and so fun to touch and experiment with.
Keep in mind that slime is not taste-safe and should be avoided with children who may be tempted to put it in their mouths. Be sure to use supervision at all times while children are using slime.
Once you get the right consistency, slime is irresistible, even for children who don’t like to get messy at all.
This starry night sky slime can be stretched to make a nice long surface, or you can roll it up into a ball. When you put it into a container, it transforms into the shape of the container.
Make Starry Night Sky Slime
Here is the recipe for starry night sky slime. This would be perfect for about two children to play with at once. It’s easy to double if you need to make more.
Materials:
- 1 tsp Borax Laundry Booster
- 4-5 oz. of Elmer’s Clear Glue or 1 bottle (it is important to use Elmer’s, and not an off brand)
- 1.5 cups of water, separated as 1 cup hot water (8oz.) and 1/2 cup cool water (4 oz.)
- 2 bowls
- 1-2 Tablespoons of Black Liquid Watercolor
- Confetti Stars
- Black glitter (optional)
- Large white marble to represent the moon (optional)
- Vinegar
Borax, Elmer’s glue, and vinegar should be available at a local grocery store. Elmer’s glue, liquid watercolor, confetti stars, glitter, and marbles can be found at a craft store or on Amazon.
Begin by putting 1 cup of hot water into a bowl and put 1/2 cup of water into another bowl.
In the bowl with 1 cup of hot water, add 1 tsp. of Borax and stir until it fully dissolves. If you’re using hot water, this should just take a minute or two.
In the bowl with 1/2 cup of water, add a bottle of Elmer’s clear glue and stir. You can certainly substitute Elmer’s white glue. It will change the color slightly. Now add the black liquid watercolor and stir.
Combine the bowls into one, and wait for about a minute. You will see the borax beginning to polymerize with the glue. Pull the slime out of the bowl and pour out the excess water.
It will be very sticky at first. Knead it for several minutes, and it will all come together in a rubbery texture. At this point add your confetti stars and black glitter (optional).
We decided to add the moon in the midst of this beautiful starry night sky. I just grabbed a shooter marble that happened to look like a perfect moon.
Slime is a sensory activity that we do time and time again. Just store it in a sealed bag, and it can last months. I find it to be a calming activity and perfect for the little ones who love to touch!
You’ll want to have vinegar handy for when slime gets on clothes or hair. The vinegar will dissolve the slime right away! And half of the time we make slime, it gets on clothes, so I just plan to have it around.
Starry night sky slime is a great way to talk about the night sky and other space concepts and to give children a great hands-on science and sensory activity.
More Outer Space Fun
This slime pairs perfectly with some of our other space themed activities. Here are some of our favorites!
Katie
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Thank you! This has helped me to sooo think out of the box. I teach Pre-K. Every year we make green Halloween slime and only green and only once a year! Now I can’t wait for school to start so I can introduce this to my students and fellow teachers for that matter. I think my brain is now working overtime with so many more slime ideas!!
Yay! So glad you are loving the slime. Halloween slime sounds amazing! I bet the kids love it. 🙂
Followed directions for starry slime, ended up with the rubbery -ist , bouncy, brittle slime ever. Ugh
“Oh bummer, slime can definitely be tricky. There is no doubt that this slime is more on the rubbery spectrum compared to the stretchy spectrum. After a few minutes of interacting with it, it usually warms up and is still pliable and great sensory fun.
If you are looking for a super stretchy recipe, try this one: http://www.two-daloo.com/night-sky-activities-preschool-galaxy-slime-borax-free/
And here are some great suggestions for slime issues. The Borax in this specific recipe is what contains the starch: http://www.funathomewithkids.com/2014/06/how-to-fix-slime-that-didnt-work-out.html.
I hope these help!”