I never really got the appeal of playing with slime, but when my babysitting family started begging me to make slime with them, I figured I had to give it a try. In fact, it was the kids who taught me how to do this craft! Their mother just laughed when she saw all the finished slime, but hey, she had three happy children when she got home.

• “Slime Activator” (we used contact lens solution)
• Foaming hand soap
• Hand lotion
• White glue
• Acrylic paint

Recipe by Babysitting Family (Trial and Error)
Alternative: Recipe by Plainsfield Park District

Unfortunately, I have no measurements or proportions to share with you, because we literally just added the ingredients by feel as we went along. I was able to track down a similar recipe online, but it turns out they also omitted amounts for most of the ingredients. That might be the secret to slime making though! You just have to follow your heart. If that bothers you, there are so many slime variations on the Internet, I’m sure a more exact recipe exists on a different website.

The reason that I am not the biggest fan of slime is because I don’t like the little bits it can leave behind on your hands. I personally prefer Play-Doh as a sensory alternative, but I can see how the stretchy feel of slime could be appealing. I also liked the snapping noise the kids were able to make as they stretched and folded the slime in on itself, so you know what, maybe I am coming around on this whole slime thing. I really don’t want to end up being the kind of parent who says ‘no’ to everything because of the potential mess, so I’m trying to gradually work through my issues around tactile mess. Were there things that you were or weren’t allowed to do in your childhood? What about types of sensory play that you really enjoyed? Was slime on that list?

Until next time, happy crafting!