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Glow in the Dark Slime

What is it?

A new twist on an old favorite! Take making slime to the next level by adding some luminosity- create a slime that glows in the dark under a blacklight!

How to make it

  1. Pour the Elmer’s glue into a plastic bowl.

  2. Add water into the same plastic bowl and mix. Use equal parts water and glue.

  3. Add 2-3 drops of food coloring and mix thoroughly.

  4. In a separate plastic bowl, add ½ teaspoon of Borax.

  5. Add ¼ cup of water and stir until the Borax is dissolved.

  6. Pour the solution of Borax and water into the bowl with Elmer’s glue mix.

  7. Stir well or use hands to mix until the solutions have combined.

What did you notice? 

  • Believe it or not, slime actually involves science! Glue, such as Elmer’s glue are made up of molecules called polymers. Polymers are long and flexible and slide past each other when in a liquid form. When the borax is added in the glue solution, the borax ions help link the long polymer molecules together. When this happens, the glue does not flow like a liquid anymore.

 

Additional Questions

  • Why do you think we add hot water to the Borax?

  • Why does the Elmer’s glue not flow like how it used to anymore?

  • How do you think “glow in the dark” fluorescence works? Which colors glow the best?

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What you'll need (per batch)

  • Elmer’s glue

  • Water (hot and cold)

  • Borax

  • Plastic bowls

  • Measurement tools (cups, teaspoons)

Happy learning friends!

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