A New Bouncy Slime Recipe with Australian ingredients

After plenty of flunked slime recipes and lots of experimenting, I have created an easy slime recipe with Australian ingredients.  If you are an Australian you might have come across an Awesome blog with a really good looking slime recipe that you were excited to try with your child, only to discover it was an Epic fail and turned out nothing like what you saw online.  I have heard parents complain that their slime doesn’t turn out.  I’ve talked to childcare educators who just don’t understand why they can’t make slime successfully.  Most slime recipes use ingredients we don’t have and trying to guess what to use as a substitute can be tedious and expensive.

Why does my slime fail?

The problem is, many slime recipes use Elmer’s Glue which isn’t a typical PVA or a cheap School glue.  Its a enhanced school glue with the right Polyvinyl alcohol proteins that reacts well with the right combination of boron component of borax.  So if you go get a craft glue or a cheaper school glue it mightn’t have the right pva protein levels to cause the slime sheer thickening reaction, or the components aren’t a good ratio in comparison to the strength of your borox mix.  If you try to “wing it” your slime ends up looking like smurf vomit.  Like one of our failed recipes did.  Gross!!

Further, the other reason I wanted to create a Slime recipe with Australian ingredients is because most slimes aren’t practical for us.  Although you can get Elmer’s glue at Woolworths supermarkets, it isn’t readily available and stocks are low.  Last week I went hunting for Elmer’s glue, I visited 3 different Woolworths, I looked online on Woolworths shopping site, I looked at Coles and craft shops and bargain shops.  No luck!

With the help of Miss T we embarked on a science exploration.  Determined to work out exactly why many slime recipes fail without Elmers and to hunt down a recipe with ingredients in Australia, that can substitute Elmers.  We spent the morning sacrificing many many glue bottles, and lots of glitter, in order to create a slime recipe with Australian ingredients.  It was my preschoolers delight!  Finally we came up with the secret tip to getting it right every time, and another glue that works just as well.

Play-Based-Parenting’s Slime recipe with Australian ingredients.

Here is the bouncy slime recipe that we have been using, after many failed glues, one actually worked.  You can print out the pdf Recipe & detailed instructions below.

•  warm water.
•   2 tea spoon of Borax
• A 147 ml bottle of  Mont Marte Clear School glue.
• Your choice of food colour or liquid water colour.
• Your choice of glitter and sequins.

If you’re in Australia, you can find borax in the laundry isle of the Supermarket, you might have to ask an Assistant but it should be there.  In Australia, where we cant find Elmers glue often, the best clear school glue I have found is this one seen in the picture below – Mont Marte School Glue Gel.  This Recipe used an entire 147ml bottle.

Apparently you can find it in a lot of bargain and discount shops like silly willy’s, jolly ollies, home base, Discount Daves, dollar kind, crazy sams and some newsagencies.   The great thing about it is that it is clear.  Clear slime looks so much cooler and you can mix what ever colour or glitter you want, and actually still see it.   This Mont Marte Glue gives it a real shiny look and the slime itself is thick and bouncy.  The best part…? It is NOT sticky at all, so your child’s hands wont get covered in gak.

Alternatively, you could use Clear Elmers glue

 Elmer’s Clear Glue x 4 – UK link

Elmer’s Liquid School Glue, Clear – US link.

How to make Slime using Clear school glue.

Get two separate bowls make mixture A and mixtures B below.

Mixture A– Make a Boron solution.  1 cup of warm water to one teaspoon of borax. Mix the Borax detergent booster. Mix well until dissolved.

Mixture B– Even parts of warm water and a bottle of Clear school glue gel. Stir well.

• Pour the mixtures together. Very slowly, testing it as you mix.

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So….  This is the tricky part. It is at this point, many people end up with smurf vomit slime or something that looks terribly wrong and not at all what you want your child splatting around.   The secret is….  Start with your glue and water mix B.  This is your base and this is all needed.  Gradually and slowly add your boron mix in, dash by dash as you are stirring. Click Here for your printable or simply click the image below.

Join Mixtures– Gradually pour Mixture A into Mixture B’s bowl, (I actually make the boron solution in a plastic bottle so I can put the lid on and shake it- ensuring that it is all dissolved and easy to pour in steadily).  As you fold and stir the slime continues to thicken.  This is a process and depending on your boron strength, you might not need as much as you think.  So don’t just dump it all in, as the boron mix might be too strong for your polyvinyl alcohol component and cause it to thicken too quickly and clump up.

Remember how the slime thickens because of the reaction?  So as you are working it together, the components are continuing to mix and join.  that is why it is a process!  You’re best to mix for a minute as it will continue to react and turn to slime as you play.  Use your hands and test the consistency and behaviour of the slime and add a dash if it is too runny or sticky until it feels right.

 

Print out your Slime Recipe Here. 

There are so many ways to play with Slime. If you get your child to help you make the mixture it is a great science lesson and while children watch the two liquid mixtures join and turn into a thickened slime it is all very interesting.  The sensory experience of slime will keep them occupied for a long time.  Children love testing theories and experimenting with sensory materials.  By manipulating the slime; stretching, pulling, poking, rolling, pushing, squeezing, breaking it and squishing their fingers in it, they are working on their finger and hand strength (an essential skills for developing writers) and lots of sensory fun.

Click the picture to try these Play ideas.

Thanks for checking out this Slime Recipe with Australian Ingredients.

If you give it a go I would love to hear from you and see your result.  You can contact me Here & you can share a pic of your slime Here on Facebook or tag me on Instagram.

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