It’s only January, but it’s been cold long enough that you might be running out of ways to keep the kids busy indoors. Fortunately, I have a solution: hot chocolate slime!
Slime can be tons of fun for a wide range of ages. For toddlers, it’s a sensory activity. Put it in a muffin pan with a few tiny toys and your little one will have a blast stretching, squeezing and transferring the goo from one compartment to another. Or dump it onto a plate and let them stamp shapes into it and watch as the impressions disappear.
Slime = STEM
Slime also makes a fantastic STEM activity for older children. A non-Newtonian fluid, slime responds like a solid when squeezed but acts like a liquid when released. As you help your kids mix up a batch, discuss how you’re creating a polymer through cross-linking. (ACS.org has a great resource on its website if you want to really dig into the science behind slime.) It’s chemistry in action!
This recipe makes enough hot chocolate slime for two to four kids, but it can be easily doubled for a larger group. As the slime sits, the foam beads will float up to the top slowly, so it looks just like a mug of hot chocolate with marshmallows. You can expect to get at least a few weeks of play from your batch if you store it in an airtight container.
You can find almost all the supplies for this slime recipe at your local grocery and craft stores. The ingredients are nontoxic, but if you’re making a batch with a young child, you may want to skip the yummy chocolate scent so they aren’t tempted to eat it.
Bonus: This recipe makes adorable gifts or party favors. Just put it in a nonbreakable container with a bright bow.
(Need a cup of real hot chocolate? Click here.)
Hot Chocolate Slime
Supplies:
½ cup (4 ounces) white school glue
1 cup (8 ounces) tap water, divided
¼ teaspoon borax (in the laundry aisle)
Brown gel food coloring
White craft foam beads
Plastic jar or container
Optional: chocolate fragrance oil (available online)
Instructions:
1. Use a fork to mix together ½ cup of white glue and ½ cup of water in a bowl.
2. Add about 10 drops of chocolate fragrance oil and enough brown gel food coloring to achieve the look of hot chocolate. Stir until the color is evenly mixed.
3. Dissolve ¼ teaspoon of borax powder in ½ cup of warm water.
4. Pour half the borax solution over the glue mixture, and stir
it with the fork. It should start to stick together and clump up a bit.
5. Continue adding the borax solution a little at a time, stirring constantly, until it all sticks together in one big blob.
6. Use your hands to knead the slime until it’s smooth and no longer sticky. You may need to add a bit more borax solution to get rid of stickiness. I like to dip my fingers into the borax solution and then knead it into the slime.
7. Pour some foam balls onto the finished slime, and knead them in with your hands.
8. Separate the slime into plastic jars or some other airtight container for storage.
Variations
This recipe can be adjusted in so many ways to create different slime concoctions. Here are a few ideas to stretch out the fun all winter long:
- Use an extra ¼ teaspoon of borax for a more putty-like consistency.
- Use different colors to explore about color mixing.
- Add glitter for some fun sparkle.
- Mix in pom poms or water beads for different textures.
- Add a generous dollop of shaving cream for fluffy slime.
- Use clear glue for a transparent version.
Be sure to share pictures of your hot chocolate slime on social media with #baltimoreschild so we can see your creativity. Happy crafting, friends!
Lindsay Ponta created the DIY and lifestyle website Shrimp Salad Circus in 2009 to inspire busy women to live perfectly imperfect creative lives. Find easy DIYs and recipes at shrimpsaladcircus.com.
