Carol LeNestour
2nd Port Elgin Guides
Port Elgin, ON
At Doe Lake "Science is Wild" camp
this summer we made two different types of slime. The first
recipe below is for a very slimy, mucus. ( It is a really big
hit!) The second type, which is called gluep, is very similar to
the polymer slime recipe [eds note: this is a similar recipe to
Polymer Slime posted by S. McLernon], but it is made up
individually for each girl. This way each girl can decide what
colour they would like to have. It results in a "
non-Newtonian visco-elastic fluid" ( something similar to
silly putty). Both recipes were also a big hit with the engineers
at work!
Do-It-Yourself "SLIME" by Steven Spangler
2 ts Guar Gum
1 tb Borax
Water
Mixing bowl
Food colouring
2 Empty plastic soda bottles to store the liquids
Zipper lock bag
Making The Borax Water: Borax is a type of powder soap
that is available in most grocery stores. Add 1 tablespoon Borax
powder to 1 cup of water. Stir until most of the powder
dissolves. Store the Borax Water in a jar or bottle, and label
the container "BORAX & WATER MIXTURE". Remember
that one cup of Borax Water will make many batches of
"SLIME".
Preparing The Guar Gum (available at health food stores): Measure
4 cups (approximately 1 litre) of warm water into a large mixing
bowl. Add 10 drops of food colouring - possibly green! SLOWLY
(very slowly) stir in 2 teaspoons of guar gum. This fine powder
has a tendency to clump up if it is not stirred into the water
slowly. After thoroughly mixing, pour the guar gum mixture into a
soda bottle and label it appropriately.
Making Slime: Pour 1/2 cup of the guar gum mixture into a
clean zipper-lock bag. Add 1 teaspoon of the Borax Water mixture
that you made previously. Seal the bag and shake. Within seconds
you'll have prepared your very own batch of SLIME! This gooey
mixture will retain its slimy properties for 1-2 days before
finally turning into a watery mess. When the SLIME is no longer
good, seal it in the zipper-lock bag and throw it away. Do not
pour it down the drain.
How Does It Work: It's gooey, slippery, sticky, really
slimy and kids love it! Make up a batch of SLIME and you'll be
the hit of any party. The mixture of guar gum with Borax and
water produces a slime- like material called a polymer. In
simplest terms, a polymer is a long chain of molecules. As a
model for these chains of molecules, picture in your mind strands
of cooked spaghetti. If the polymer chains slide past each other
easily, then the substance acts like a liquid because the
molecules flow. If the molecules hook together at a few places
along the strand, then the substance behaves like a rubbery solid
called an elastomer. Borax is the chemical that is responsible
for hooking the guar gum molecules together to form the SLIME.
Guar gum is actually a vegetable gum commonly used as a
thickening agent in various food products and cosmetics.
Additional guar gum may be purchased at a health food store. The
guar gum and water mixture may only last a few days. You can
prolong the shelf life of the mixture by keeping it in the
refrigerator.
SAFETY PRECAUTIONS WITH CHEMICALS: Although these
substances are not considered hazardous, you should treat all
chemicals with care and wash your hands after handling. Do not
taste or eat any of the materials described in these activities.
Do not pour any of these experiments down the sink. Clean up any
spill immediately.
Source: Mad Scientist 1995 Girl Scout Day Camp
(note - I bought the guar gum at the drug store, and it only came
in tablets. I just estimated the amount, and everything turned
out OK)
********************************************************************
Gluep
1 tsp borax (it is a kind of detergent-look in detergent aisle)
7 tbsp water
1 tbsp elmer's white glue or tacky glue (DO NOT USE Sobo or
School Glue)
(since both of these were beyond our budget, I tested the glue
that we had in the unit, and found that it worked well - Ross
White Glue ( NOT SCHOOL GLUE))
Food coloring-optional
Mix Borax and 6 tablespoons of water. In a separate bowl, mix 1
tablespoon water and 1 tablespoon glue. (For colored gluep-add
food coloring to this second mixture) Add the borax water to the
glue mixture, and stir it a few times until a blob forms. Strain
the mixture out into your hands, and play with the blob. As you
play with it, it becomes less slimy, and more like silly putty,
but if you let it sit for a while, it flattens out, just like a
liquid.
Bounce it! Roll it! Snap it! Use your imagination! JUST DON'T EAT
IT!!!!!
(Our girls kept their gluep in zip lock bags, and named it. Along
with all the girls autographs, I still have parts of Mr. Squishy
on my shirt from camp)
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