Disclosure: Discount School Supply sent us the Gold Glitter and Make it Shimmer paint at our request. Our enthusiasm for their glitter is genuine and was not swayed by the free glitter. :) This post contains affiliate links for your convenience.
S and I love glitter. I think that Discount School Supply must have sensed this, because they sent us three POUNDS of gold glitter. 
We now have enough to last our entire lives, I suspect! ;) I wanted some way to showcase their beautiful glitter, and so we settled on making the MOST GLITTERY slime we'd ever created. Because we love glitter so much, we usually include it in our slime. But this time, we went for total. glitter. saturation.
We now have enough to last our entire lives, I suspect! ;) I wanted some way to showcase their beautiful glitter, and so we settled on making the MOST GLITTERY slime we'd ever created. Because we love glitter so much, we usually include it in our slime. But this time, we went for total. glitter. saturation..jpg)
Our favorite slime recipe is super simple:
1.5 cups Sta Flo Liquid Starch
2 5oz bottles of Elmer's Clear Glue
Check out more details (including photos) for troubleshooting slime in this post.
You add those two ingredients to a bowl (this is a great plastic bowl we use frequently for our projects that I bought at the Dollar Tree) and mix. It takes awhile for the slime to get, well, slime-y. There's a long period that lasts several minutes where it's just stringy and gross, and you might feel like you did something wrong - but that's just the way it works. Keep mixing (we like to just use our hands for the mixing) and in a few minutes, it will all gel and look like the finished product. You can add liquid watercolors, food coloring, paint, glitter - really whatever you want to the slime to make it pretty. :) Here S is adding glitter herself, and the Colorations Glitter is slowly dispensing it. You gotta love a glitter container that doesn't dump, right?
Well, we wanted to add some SERIOUS glitter, so I took the lid off and we DUMPED (probably somewhere around a cup of glitter). Isn't is beautiful? Discount School Supply makes plastic glitter (glass, metal, and latex-free!), so it's safer for kids, and I loved that it was square shaped. Usually the glitter we run into is circular - so we enjoyed the deviation from the norm.
See what I mean about the stringy stage? Gross looking, but it will come together in a few more minutes (around 5 or so). We decided to add about a tablespoon of our yellow Liquid Watercolors and about two tablespoons of the Make It Shimmer paint additive that Discount School Supply provided us.
Between the mountain of glitter and the Make It Shine additive, we created some amazing golden slime. It really looked like liquid gold to us!
And like a great slime, it was super streeeeeetchy!
Since we super saturated it, there was a bit of glitter that ended up on our hands as we played and on the table where we were spreading/playing with the slime. We don't mind glitter, so this didn't bother us, but if glitter makes you nervous, we'd recommend adding a small amount or skipping it altogether. :)
In addition to being stretchy, slime is also sticky, as S so willingly demonstrates here.
Sticky, sticky! It does eventually stretch and fall, but it's pretty fun to see it momentarily suspended upside down!
Once S was done mixing the slime and exploring its properties, we brought out the dragons
for some small world slime play!
for some small world slime play!
Slime is one of S's favorite mediums for small world play because you can bury guys, get them "stuck", easily position them, etc. It is a very dramatic play medium. :)
You can even make slime bracelets. :)
We were SO pleased with how golden and sparkly our slime turned out. It keeps in a Ziploc bag for weeks, and has been pulled out every single day since we made it. :)
If you are from the UK/Australia and looking for ingredients to make this slime, check out this post on how to make slime with laundry detergent (it includes links for UK and Aussie stores).
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All activities here are activities I feel are safe for my own children. As your child's parents/guardians, you will need to decide what you feel is safe for your family. I always encourage contacting your child's pediatrician for guidance if you are not sure about the safety/age appropriateness of an activity. All activities on this blog are intended to be performed with adult supervision. Appropriate and reasonable caution should be used when activities call for the use of materials that could potentially be harmful, such as scissors, or items that could present a choking risk (small items), or a drowning risk (water activities), and with introducing a new food/ingredient to a child (allergies). Observe caution and safety at all times. The author and blog disclaim liability for any damage, mishap, or injury that may occur from engaging in any of these activities on this blog.
Oh my God! This is one FUN sensory play. Gotta get a large bottle of golden glitter and DUMP.. My daughter will love this.
ReplyDeleteHahaha! You crack me up, Suja! Yay, glad you guys are going to try it! Hooray for glitter! :)
DeleteGot to do this - we played hunt the fairies in gobbldy goo (jello) topped with shaving foam this afternoon!
ReplyDeleteOoh! So fun, Rachael! The fairies will get a whole load of sensory play!
DeleteWe are so doing this!!!!!
ReplyDeleteYay! I knew you'd love the glitter. ;)
DeleteI love this! I will be adding this to my lesson plans. My students will enjoy this.
ReplyDeleteThank you,
Miss Tannel
Awesome, Miss Tannel! I hope your students enjoy the glittery gooey slime as much as we have! Thank you for the kind comment!
DeleteThis is an amazing amount of glitter. I just love how it looks, and I'm fairly sure we have a massive amount of red glitter around here somewhere......
ReplyDeleteYessssss! Red would look amazing! We used about 1/5 of that giant jar, and it was totally worth it. :) I hope you'll share photos of your red glitter slime! I want to see!
DeleteOh my gosh, three POUNDS of it? I have to admit though, it DOES look gorgeous! And I really have to find some of that liquid starch! I've never been able to find it around here. Must check Amazon. Thanks for sharing with us today, Asia!
ReplyDeleteWell, I didn't use all three pounds! More like 1/5 of a pound...though when you're talking about glitter - it's still a lot. :) Yes, I had a bit of trouble finding it in our local grocery stores - I eventually did - but Amazon does carry it! Probably the easiest method... :)
DeleteWe found the liquid starch at WalMart in the laundry aisle. if that helps!
DeleteOhh, good to know, Sarah!!! :)
DeleteI made this slime with my daughter last night and this recipe really helped!
DeleteWe made something similar to this, too. We used a borax and glue base, though. I love how golden yours turned out. So cool!
ReplyDeleteSo fun, Tara! Thank you - I was also amazed at how golden it turned out to be!!!
DeleteI love these pictures, both the ones of the dragon on top of his molten gold and of your daughter gleefully smiling! It's so glittery and shiny and pretty!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Jessica! It was SO pretty, my camera just could not look away!!! And she thought she was so sneaky sticking the slime to her forehead - total goofball. :)
DeleteWhere is the ingredents there is nothing on how to make it. Just the name of the project!!!!?????
ReplyDeleteHi Anonymous - I think your browser is working against my page? If there is another browser you can use, you can see the full post (I'm guessing you're not seeing any photos or text?). In short the recipe is 1.5 cups Staflo Liquid Starch mixed with 2 five ounce bottles of clear glue (we used Elmer's). We added about 1/2 cup of gold glitter, some yellow liquid watercolors and a bit of Discount School Supply's Make It Shine. All the final ingredients are totally optional. If you can find another browser to use, it should load the whole post with detailed descriptions and photos! So sorry it's not working for you at the moment!
Deleteokay, what did I do wrong?? :( It never ever got out of the slimy part and never soaked up all the starch. Yes I made sure I had the right amount of everything... My boys are so disappointed.. as is Mama, just like bouncy balls we tried to make from another site and it didn't work.. my boys aren't going to trust me when I say we are making something lol..
ReplyDeleteAny ideas as to what went wrong?? Help pelase
Oh no, Mtn High! I am not sure. Are you sure you added in the right amount of glue? Two full bottles of 5 ounce glue? And what kind of glue and liquid starch did you use? I don't know that brands should matter - but maybe they do? We've tried two different brands of glue - Elmer's and Discount School Supply - but haven't tried others. We also have ever used Sta Flo liquid starch. That is so disappointing! I want to help you figure it out - so give me all the details and hopefully we can get to the bottom of it. We have used this recipe a dozen times, as have friends, so I think it must be something funky with the brands or something???
DeleteMtn High - I think I've figured it out -- apparently the only two brands you can successfully combine are Sta Flo and Elmer's glue - my guess would be that you used a glue other than Elmer's? Let me know if that solves it for you! I had no idea it was so brand specific until there were a few of you with the same problem - SO sorry!!!!!
DeleteWe are really excited to make a version of this today!! We don't have that much glue though. I have recently been taking to heart what you mentioned in a previous post about allowing the "pooling" of liquid glue. My daughter has been enjoying it soo much. She has taken to layering large quantities of ripped or cut construction paper in the glue, resulting in some fun pieces of art and a shortage of glue! So we are going to try to make this in a smaller batch!! :o) Thank you again, for all that you do to share with us!
ReplyDeleteHahahaha - Yay for beautiful art! Sorry about the glue shortage. ;) We have *just* figured out that you need to use Elmer's brand for this slime, so I hope you've got some of that left! It should work with less than the full amount of glue - just add roughly the same amount of starch as glue and mix well! Hope it's a hit and thank you so much for the sweet thank you!!!!! :) :) :)
DeleteI love the way the gold looks!
ReplyDeleteI made a similar concoction with my son. We called it "Star Spangled Slime," as a 4th of July craft. He LOVED it. We used blue glitter, which gave it a beautiful look. When we were done, we saved it and used the ocean animals in it (it looked like water).
http://curiouslittlekid.com/preschool-crafts/4th-of-july-crafts-star-spangled-slime/
So fun, Sara Ann! I love those sparkles!!!! What a fun idea to celebrate the 4th! :)
DeleteI can't get this recipe to work consistently, either. I tried it about a year and a half ago after seeing it on a different preschool blog. We mixed up the first batch for one child and it worked perfectly. We mixed up the next batch for the next child and...flop. "Okay, the first one was 'school glue' and the second one was 'all-purpose.' Maybe that's it." So we mixed up another batch with school glue. And...flop. "Hmm. This glue is kind of old. Maybe it needs fresh glue." So we went to the store and bought fresh school glue. And...flop. We've tried it many times since then, and it works maybe one out of five times. All with Elmer's and StaFlo. I think I'm going to have to go back to Borax, because even though I used to have a job as a problem-solver, I can't figure this issue out.
ReplyDeleteHow very strange! We have only ever used Clear Elmer's Glue, but we have made it around a dozen different times and have always had it work? SOOO frustrating! I am sorry to hear that it has caused you trouble, too! :(
DeleteThis looks like fun. I am definitely putting this on our list since it's reached the deathly hot part of the summer in our part of the country. Inside activities for the win.
ReplyDeleteHi Louanne! Eeek! That must be really REALLY hot. Thankfully here in Seattle, about as hot as it gets is 100. Not too bad. Stay cool! Oh, and you can always pop the slime in the fridge before you play!
DeleteWe used Elmers white school glue and Linit Starch and it worked great.
ReplyDeleteTHanks
Ooh! Thank you for that info Oz Mum! Great to know that there's another combo out there that works!
DeleteI didn't read through all the comments, but the belief this is borax-free isn't true because starch contains borax.
ReplyDeleteHi Anonymous,
DeleteI am not sure why you think it contains borax? I have read the ingredients of Sta Flo starch and researched them as well. There is no borax or boron listed anywhere. Maybe it is an ingredient in other starches (that are not the Sta Flo brand?)? But I cannot find any indication that this recipe contains borax...
cute :)
ReplyDeleteThanks! :)
DeleteWhy does it need to be borax free? Isn't borax one of the ingredients used in "green cleaning" products? I thought it was non-toxic and safe for kids...no?
ReplyDeleteHi Gigi! Some people try to avoid it - my guess is because it would be toxic if eaten? Though technically I think glue and starch would be too!
DeleteI just wanted to add that we made this last night and it didn't work right as others said. I even used the exact ingredients you recommended, although the No Flo wasn't "dye free" like yours. HOWEVER, we put the mixture into a container with a lid and left it overnight in the hopes it would achieve the right consistency and IT DID! Hooray! So, for anyone who has problems with the recipe working right, let it sit overnight and see if that helps...
ReplyDeleteOh! Very interesting Hollzzz! We've always had ours come to the right consistency within 5-10 minutes - I wonder why the time is so different? But nevertheless HOORAY for it finally working and thank you for adding the tip here for anyone else who runs into trouble!!!
DeleteHumidity might be a concern.
DeleteStrange, but I will try leaving my giant mess overnight. I used the exact same Elmer's glue and Staflo and it went from stringy stage to stringy and many slime-y lumps. Never came together after tons of mixing. Tried "stirring" with my hands and then squeezing through my fingers to break the strings and lumps.
Deletemdoll, if it is stringy, but NOT sticky, add more glue! That should fix it. If it is stringy and very sticky add more Sta Flo.
DeleteThis looks awesome!! Me and my little girl are glitter girls and were having a Halloween party this year (my son just turned 5 and my daughter will be 2 soon) I think this would make a great party favor for the kids to do! How many small plastic containers (like little playdough size, I got from the dollar store) do you think one bottle of glue would make? I would rather have more than less! Also, When I make this I want to put it on my mommy/business blog and would like to give your blog credit for this cute little project! Please let me know! Thank you <3 This is my blog, I mostly put my work up, but every so often I put crafts that me and the kids do up as well! Check it out!! Hope to hear from you soon! http://lovemetendr.blogspot.com/
ReplyDeleteHmmm, I'm not totally sure, but I think one clear bottle of glue would maybe make enough slime to fill two Playdough sized containers? And linking back is always appreciated! :) Hope you guys have fun with it!
DeleteI tried it with the right ingredients and measurements! didn't work!!
ReplyDeleteSo sorry! I'm not sure why that happened? It should be an unstoppable chemical reaction - like when you add baking soda to vinegar - you can't stop it from happening? So frustrating!
DeleteWhat a glorious and pretty slime! I loved seeing how your daughter put it together.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Deirdre! She had a blast mixing it!
DeleteOh my, that looks AMAZING!
ReplyDeleteThank you, My Little 3 and Me!!! :) :) :)
DeleteI stumbled upon this on Pinterest looking for ideas for my daughter to give her friends for valentines besides candy. I am very excited I found this because the kids are going to LOVE it and my daughter will LOVE helping me make it! I am going to use red glitter though in place of the gold for Valentine's Day! Thank you again. You have gained a new fan!!!
ReplyDeleteThat is such a rad idea for a valentine, Nicole! I love it!!!! And so glad you found us!!!!
DeleteSo....I just halved the recipe with your exact ingredients and it did make the slime but it also has a later of foam all over it. Has this happened to you ever?
ReplyDeleteWeeeeeeird!!!! No - ours does bubble if we leave it for a few hours sitting in a Ziploc bag (how we store it), which I've always thought was a little weird, but the slime is still the same when we play with it. A layer of foam is so strange - not sure what would cause it at all! Can you send me a picture?
DeleteThis just happened to me, too! Also my Sta-Flo looks a lot more blue than it does in these pictures. Perhaps they changed their recipe?
DeleteSo weird!!! Can you send me a photo, Jackie! Where do you live?
DeleteI'm sorry, I meant to take a photo for you but completely forgot! I ended up squeezing the foam out of it and let it sit in a ziplock overnight. It was super sticky today, like it wouldn't come off of the towel I put it on, so instead of playing with it as is I put it in an empty plastic bottle. So now it's a cool sensory bottle!
DeleteAnd I'm FL. :)
Sooooo weird! I checked at our store and we still have the same Sta Flo. Our slime pretty much always sticks to towels because they are so fibrous, but it's still so weiiiiird! Did you use Elmer's Glue? And great save - love the idea of it in a sensory bottle!!!
DeleteI have sadly tried this recipe three times now with correct amounts/ingredients/brands. Each time it has turned into a big chunky mess, when you pick it up the chunks break apart. I cant seem to get the nice smooth consistency pictured.
ReplyDeleteNooooo! That is so frustrating! I'm so sorry! Is there any way you could send me a picture? If you've already tossed what you made, could you make a small batch and take a photo? I can hopefully help you figure out what is going on!
DeleteHi! I recently wrote a Summer Activity bucket list on my blog and I gave you a shout out! You can check it out here if you would like!
ReplyDelete(all photos and page mentions were sourced and linked back to your original post.)
http://amomsrambels.blogspot.com/2014/05/summer-activities-for-entire-family.html
Thanks for including me! Pinned! :)
DeleteHow do you store this sliminess? If its able to be stored, how long does it last?
ReplyDeleteHahaha! In a sealed container (think Tupperware) or a Ziploc bag. It will keep for several weeks, depending on how dirty it gets and how humid/hot it is where you live. :)
DeleteWondering if a metal bowl changes the chemical reaction? Could explain the inconsistent results? Getting ready to try:)
ReplyDeleteThe metal bowl shouldn't change anything so far as I know. I suspect the inconsistency has to do with the necessary chemical not being evenly distributed in the liquid starch. Here's a later post I wrote that should help fix it if your slime turns out funky:
Deletehttp://www.funathomewithkids.com/2014/06/how-to-fix-slime-that-didnt-work-out.html
Hope you have some great slimy fun! :) :) :)
This is so cute! If I wanted to make half the recipe for one bottle of glue. Would a cup of starch be too much?
ReplyDeleteIt'll probably be closer to 3/4 cup. :) Have fun! :)
Delete