One of the things I love to do with this blog is to use my science background (I have an M. Ed in science education and used to be a middle and high school science teacher) to create new play recipes that are safe - and if possible, that are edible (I love the idea of creating sensory play that is great for all ages so that babies and toddlers can join their siblings in play without having to miss out on the fun). So far I've developed a Safe/Edible Glow Water, and Edible Mini Water Beads (with no choking hazard!), and an Edible Pretend (Melting!) Ice Cream Dough. We love to play with slime and gak around here and one of my toughest recipes to develop was this one - a totally edible and chemical/borax free slime. It's no cook, super easy, and takes less than five minutes from start to finish! I'm super proud of it (and spent many hours experimenting in our kitchen to get here) and I hope you all love it as much as we do!
Like any great slime it's suuuuper stretchy!
It oooooooozes.
You can grab it with two hands and just pick it right up off a table.
It feels so soft and slightly cool (in that way that slime always does)...sometimes you just gotta wrap your entire forearm in it.
As S will tell you, it always helps to make crazy faces when you're playing with slime. :)
So so so fun!
For the first time ever, X was able to touch our slime (here he's just over a year - at that age I still didn't trust him not to taste, so he had to sit out during former slime plays). He had a great time poking it with his fingers then slowwwwly lifting them up and watching the slime fall over and over.
This post contains affiliate links for your convenience.
Are you ready to make your own? Awesome. You will need:
This basil seed (which we also use to make our Edible Mini Water Beads)
Cornstarch
(or cornflour if you are in the UK)
(or cornflour if you are in the UK)
Water
Food coloring (optional - we used Neon Green
here)
here)
Measure 1/4 cup of basil seeds into a bowl and add one full 16oz box of cornstarch (cornflour). Mix them together (kid hands are really good at this part). Add food coloring (if desired) to 2.5 cups of water. Add the water to your cornstarch and seed mixture and stir well. I find that it's easiest to do this part with my hands. You will ultimately end up kneading the slime like bread dough as over the span of 5 minutes, the seeds will begin to absorb the water and it will begin to thicken the mixture. If you find any clumps of seeds while kneading, break them up with your fingers. Once the slime is completely uniform feeling - you're good to go!
Where do you find Basil Seeds:
The best place to find basil seeds is in an Asian or International Specialty Food Store: Our local Asian Specialty stores all carry bags for $1 and they are in the spices section
Here is a listing on US Amazon
Here is a listing on Amazon CA
Here is a listing on Amazon UK
Here is a listing for Australia
The above links are by no means exhaustive - feel free to Google around yourself. Any online spice specialty store is likely to carry these! :)
Where do you find Basil Seeds:
The best place to find basil seeds is in an Asian or International Specialty Food Store: Our local Asian Specialty stores all carry bags for $1 and they are in the spices section
Here is a listing on US Amazon
Here is a listing on Amazon CA
Here is a listing on Amazon UK
Here is a listing for Australia
The above links are by no means exhaustive - feel free to Google around yourself. Any online spice specialty store is likely to carry these! :)
When you're done playing with your slime, store it in a sealed container in the refrigerator. Ours lasted for a little over a week. You may find that you need to knead your Edible Slime briefly before play each time to break up any clumps that may have formed.
UPDATE: We have created a new slime recipe for those of you who can't find Basil Seeds where you live. The new slime will work with chia or flax seeds and if all else fails can be made seedless as well. Click here if you need an alternate No-Cook Edible Slime recipe.
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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.
Asia I love this, it looks like great fun and super that babies can enjoy it too.
ReplyDeleteYAY! Thank you, Emma! It's really SOOOO cool. I played with it just as much as them. I also was super proud and made my husband and my parents play with it, hahahahha.
DeleteASSSIA-- You did it again!!!! Looks amazing and the color.. ahhhh so fun. I was hoping to see this float around later during the day.. but imagine my surprise to see this super amazing post ...Great work and perfect color choice.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Suja!!! :) :) :) I'm so glad you like it and hope it was worth the wait. ;)
DeleteThanks for persisting with your experiments :) Will be giving this a try on the weekend - it looks like so much fun! We'll have to use chia seeds though, no basil seeds to be found here not til later in the season.
ReplyDeleteYay! I'm so glad you like it, oneclevermonkey! And cool - if you get a chance, let me know how long it takes for the chia seeds to gelatinize!! :) :) :)
DeleteI love these non toxic plays that you are adding lately! I am always avoiding playing with things because of the chemicals and now we can play. thank you!!
ReplyDeleteYay for chemical free play! Also there's something awesome about being able to compost what you've been using when you're done, right? :)
DeleteLove this! You are so clever.
ReplyDeleteAw, thank you so much, Christie! I'm so glad you love it! :) :) :)
DeleteYou are revolutionary and amazing, Momma!!!!
ReplyDeleteYou are so sweet, Devany!!!! Thank you!!!!
DeleteThis is awesome!!! I've got to get me some basil seeds to play with!! I pinned this to my (CarlaINHouston) Kid's Science board and shared it on my PreschoolPowolPackets Facebook page--I think it's just brilliant!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Carla!!! :) :) :)
DeleteLove this! Thank you for sharing! I just made Gak last week for letter G sensory tub...wish I had this recipe! I shared a link to your recipe on my blog! I love that you are creating safe, natural and edible sensory recipes!
ReplyDeleteThank you, My Little Sonbeam!!! :) :) :)
DeleteThank you for this recipe! The last slime I made took the finish off my kitchen table and that got me thinking about what is was doing to our skin....
ReplyDeleteOh my word, GroovyEm! That is so horrifying to contemplate! This one rinses off with water and most assuredly does not harm tables (or children). Phew!!!
DeleteHave you tried it with flax?
ReplyDeleteYep. And flax, while gooey when soaked in water, was not gooey enough to hold it together. Boo.
DeleteThis looks like so much fun! We'll have to try it out. One of my kids loves to get messy and the other one gets upset if she gets messy – I think she just needs more practice hehe
ReplyDeleteThank you, Kate! I like the more practice theory, hahaha!
DeleteThat is really, really cool! I can't get my head around the seeds making it all come together so I am going to have to give it a go myself! Pinned! :)
ReplyDeleteIt's pretty crazy. Gotta love science. And please do try it - I hope you guys love it as much as we do.
DeleteWill any basil seed work or just hairy basil? I love these edible recipes! With an almost toddler who has to do everything her brother does it is rough when the recipes are not safe. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteAny basil seed will work - however hairy basil is the one that is typically offered as food. You could use the seeds in the seed packets if your kiddos aren't going to taste them, I just worry that planting grade seeds might not be up to the same standards as food grade seeds, if that makes sense. But all basil seeds do this - cool, right?
DeleteThis looks amazing. You are right don't use planting grade seeds. They often have chemicals on them to stop the going mouldy and rotting while they are being stored.
DeleteOooh, good to know Outrageous Wonderful! I figured they'd be treated differently. And thank you!!! :)
DeleteYou are a complete genius! Just made some now and cant stop playing with it myself ;) cant wait for my son to wake up so he can have a go ...
ReplyDeleteAWESOME!!!! I'm so glad you made it and love it! I could not get over how much it felt like storebought slime. So much fun! Yay!!!!!
DeleteHi! I just made a batch with chia seeds. It looks really disgusting and I think its a success! Lol...
ReplyDeleteThe chia seeds are not quite dissolved yet, so I will see how in 8hrs time!
Hahahaha! Yes, the chia seeds take SO long to plump up. So long as you decreased the water in the basil seed recipe, you should have awesome slime in a few hours!!!! :)
DeleteIT OOZES!
ReplyDeleteYes ma'am!!! :)
DeleteThanks for sharing the recipe, the lovely pictures & the links to where to get basil seeds! I look forward to visiting my local asian supermarket & then making some squishy, slippery slime! :D
ReplyDeleteYay! I hope you guys love it, Chloe!!! :)
DeleteDoes plain old gelatin behave the same? I ask because I have plain on hand, as well as chia seed, but wondered about the Gelatin :D
ReplyDeleteNo, gelatin doesn't behave the same way, but it is very fun to play with. You can find the ways we've played with gelatin here:
Deletehttp://www.funathomewithkids.com/search/?q=gelatin
Does it come off clothing and floors?
ReplyDeleteYep and yep. If you let it dry it will flake off, or you can wipe it up with a damp paper towel. We had no issues with it.
DeleteAMAZING!! I am a pediatric occupational therapist and found your blog doing a search on pinterest for edible sensory play for some of my younger students who have Autism. Your site is an incredible resource! Keep up the great MESSY work! :)
ReplyDeleteOh I'm SO GLAD!!!! Thank you for all the amazing work you do, Laura! Our little guy has a team of three OTs and we appreciate you all so much!!!! Hope your students love the slime! :)
DeleteJust remember not to wash it down the sink or it will clog your pipes!
ReplyDeleteYep! It's edible so we got to toss it into our compost when we were done! :)
DeleteI just made this with my daughter and it's absolutely amazing! Thank you so much, your blog is always so inspiring!
ReplyDeleteHi Celia! Oh, I'm so glad to hear this! I am so happy you both loved it! We are kind of obsessed with our edible slime, so we love to hear that other people find is as awesome as we do!!! :) :) :)
DeleteI've just prepared the chia seed recipe (since we had some in the house) for the children i nanny for and even before I placed it in the fridge the kids and I were having a ball with it! A very calming and stimulating activity. We've made oobleck (a.k.a. goop) before many times but the kids have grown bored with it. This slimy twist is just was they needed for a cold, snowy day :) Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteAwesome! The basil seed slime is like twenty times better if you ever get a chance to make it! For some reason the chia seeds lose water as you play, but the basil seeds are hardier and hold on to it. So so glad to hear they loved it! :) :) :)
DeleteI want to make this for my toddler class. But Im thinking of using oatmeal instead of basil seeds to absorb the water.
ReplyDeleteThis slime is absolutely AMAZING!! My 2.5 year old twins (and my husband!) played with this all morning. NO other sensory activity has kept their attention so well! Thank you so very much for sharing this. :)
ReplyDeleteYAY! This comment makes me SO happy!!!!!!!!!! :) :) :)
DeleteEXCELENTE, ME GUSTARIA HACER LA MASA PARA MI HIJA DE 2 AÑOS PERO EN PERU NO HAY SEMILLAS DE ALBAHACA ;(
ReplyDelete¡Oh, no, lo siento mucho! Me gustarÃa poder ayudar. ¿Hay tiendas en Perú que venden especias internacionales? Semillas de albahaca se usan como una especia o en las bebidas en las comidas asiáticas.
DeleteStumbled across your site by accident......I must say its fantastic. So many sensory play ideas. I've shared with our 4000 Facebook fans. Keep up the good work.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Andrew!!!!
DeleteHave you tried adding glitter to this or is it the type of slime that just wouldn't hold it and then end up getting glitter everywhere? Just purchased all the products can't wait to make this. Just need some food dye :)
ReplyDeleteIt should hold - but it does make it inedible. If you're just going for a chemical-free slime, I'd say go for it!!!
DeleteCan you store it for play at a later time? If so, for how long and in what type of container?
ReplyDeleteAs it says at the end of the post, it will keep for about a week in a sealed container in the refrigerator. :)
DeleteJust wondering if it will work if you put the seeds in a blender or food processor (or maybe even a coffee grinder) and process until they are a powder...then continue as your recipe instructs. Also an ascorbic acid (vitamin c) tablet or two would help as a preservative and give it a longer play-time life. I mean, I don't know about anyone else but at $8 a bag for the seeds....this is really pretty pricey for slime.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure if that would work or not (food processing). It may...though I suspect you'll get the best slime with the full seeds as they would add more stability. Great idea with the vitamin C! And yes, if you buy online, the bag is pretty pricey (it's around $1 a bag at our local store), but it also lasts for quite a long time - so it will make several batches of slime.
DeleteI love this 100% edible version! Such a great way for babies and toddlers to join in the action, too. I am doing a slime roundup tomorrow and will be including this post :)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Crystal! :) :) :)
DeleteCan you show me a picture of what the bag of hairy seeds looks like? I tried sprouts here but they don't know what I'm talking about. I called one Asian supermarket and they said they have basil seed but didn't know what hairy basil seeds were.
ReplyDeleteOh! If they have basil seeds that's perfect. Those will work. I've seen several different packages - you just want to be sure they are edible (like not from the gardening section), but any basil seeds will do this. :) :) :)
DeleteDo you have a business email I can contact you with? I just bought your book and I'm sure I'll have more questions!
ReplyDeleteThanks for getting the book! And yep, funathomewithkids@gmail.com. :)
DeleteWater is a chemical. Cornstarch and seeds are compromised of many chemicals. Please stop proliferating the idea that all "chemicals" are bad. The title of this post made me seriously doubt your credentials.
ReplyDeleteI title my posts for SEO. Sorry to have offended you!
DeleteI was so excited to try this and even purchased the seeds through your link. Followed directions carefully and ended up with basically a big bowl of green water! Any idea where I mightve gone wrong because I cannot figure it out!
ReplyDeleteSO weird! Can you send me a photo at funathomewithkids@gmail.com? I can help you figure out what happened if I can see what it looks like. So sorry!
DeleteSame exact thing happened to me today! Tried adding more basil seeds, no improvement. Any ideas?
DeleteD ZAD, did you buy the basil seeds off of Amazon - a listing with a big bag labeled "Tukmaria" in yellow? There seems to be a batch of damaged seeds. Let Amazon know and they'll let you return them. That listing has worked for a year, but all of the sudden they aren't working for anyone - and it's all that same brand. I think they must have permanently killed/damaged the seeds somehow and that's why the seeds are failing. :(
Deletecan you use a substitute for the seeds, like oatmeal or something else..?
ReplyDeleteIf you click on the link at the end of the post, it will take you to a post with three alternatives, including seedless. And no I've never gotten oatmeal to work, sorry!
DeleteHow to make a liquid slime? So that i can mix it with sand to make kinetic sand...
ReplyDeletehttp://www.funathomewithkids.com/2014/06/how-to-fix-slime-that-didnt-work-out.html
DeleteWe just tried this and big fat flop! We have attempted the basil seed slime and although the seeds absorbed the water they arent sticking together and are still separate? Do I need to add more corn flour for it to become slime?
ReplyDeleteHmmm. I'm not sure what happened. Can you send me a photo at funathomewithkids@gmail.com? I can usually solve it if I can see a photo (and a phone photo is totally fine).
DeleteCan you use tapioca starch instead of cornstarch? Wondering for those with allergies to corn.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely! :)
DeleteLove your blog and your slime recipes. However, given your Science background, I'm surprised you call your recipes chemical free. You, of all people, should not misuse the word chemical. ie If it contains water, there is a chemical. http://chemistry.about.com/od/chemistryfaqs/f/whatchemical.htm
ReplyDeleteOh I do -- I know that's annoying, but I have to title based on search terms if I want people to find the posts. People looking for "safe" slimes use the term "chemical free slimes" so that is why it's called that and includes that term in the title/post.
DeleteI used a bunch of expired chia seed instead of basil seed and it worked! Also added a bit of baby oil to keep it moist for longer and give some scent. Thanx for the idea!
ReplyDeleteI was so excited to try this DIY project.
ReplyDelete