Is your kid obsessed with playing with slime? Playing with slime is not only a source of fun but also enhances the physical and mental capabilities of children. It improves their imaginative and motor skills since their mind and body get to actively participate in the play. There are numerous handy ways of making slime, and people usually prefer to make it on their own at home. For a long time, Borax was considered to be a key ingredient in making slime. However, many researchers suggest that it should not even be used to make slime. The presence of boric acid in Borax makes it potentially dangerous. As a matter of fact, it is used as a pesticide to kill insects, germs, fungus and weeds. This is enough evidence that it is not logical to let children play with a material made up of such a lethal substance.
Borax is disruptive to the body's hormones and is also harmful to the male reproductive system. Frequent contact with Borax can cause skin irritation and may also result in itchy eyes. Mistakenly intaking Borax with food may lead to vomiting, nausea and other respiratory disorders. Since kids are unaware of such hazards, it is highly likely that such accidents may mostly involve children. These negative characteristics of Borax have motivated Canada and the European Union to restrict its use in the products made for children. Therefore, it is good to keep Borax out of children's reach for their safety.
Having highlighted the dangers Borax presents, it is essential to point out alternate ways of making slime. You'll be happy to know that there are a lot of other convenient and less expensive ways of making slime that doesn't involve the use of Borax.
Here is the simplest and most common recipe used for making slime without using Borax:
Ingredients:
- Transparent Glue
- Water
- Detergent powder
Procedure:
Put the colorless glue in a big bowl.
Put a tablespoon of detergent powder in another bowl. Pour in some water and shake it well until it has completely mixed.
Now add the mixture to the bowl with transparent glue. Mix gently until it changes into a soft mass.
Collect the soft mass and squeeze it with your hands until you see it turning into dough. Indeed, a very easy way of making slime.
There are also some other forms of slime made from simple recipes that do not require Borax as an ingredient. Some of them are highlighted below.
Cornstarch Slime
Ingredients:
- Water
- Food color
- Two cups of cornstarch
Procedure:
Heat the water until it is warm. Add some drops of food color. Pour this colored water slowly into the bowl containing cornstarch and thoroughly mix it using your fingers until it gets thicker. After this, leave the mixture for a while to dry. The slime will be ready after the mixture dries up.
Edible Slime
Ingredients:
- Small Can of Condensed milk
- Cornstarch
- Food color
Procedure:
Put a small can of sweetened condensed milk into a suitable vessel and then add a tablespoon of cornstarch to it. Put the vessel on the stove and turn on the burner. Let it heat slowly as you stir the mixture with a spoon until it reaches the boiling point. Switch off the burner when it gets thicker and then adds food color to the mixture. Let it cool for some time and your multi-purpose slime is ready to eat or play with.
Baby Powder Slime
Ingredients:
- Half cup of Glue
- Food color
- A cup of Talc powder
Procedure:
Put some glue into a bowl and add food color to it. After mixing the color well, start adding the baby powder and continue stirring with a spoon until the mixture starts turning into slime.
Powdered Fiber Slime
Ingredients:
- Water
- Food color
- Powdered fiber
Procedure:
Mix powdered fiber and water in a microwave-safe bowl. Add the food color and heat it in a microwave on high for 4 to 5 minutes. After heating the mixture, cool and stir it with a spoon for 2 to 4 minutes. Repeat this heating and cooling process for about 2 to 6 times. Stop further heating and let it cool until it gets thick enough.
Playing materials like Slime are super fun but they may cause problems if they contain hazardous ingredients like Borax. Children are a care-free lot and when they are busy playing they aren't aware of the consequences of playing with such products. Therefore, it is the parents' duty to follow the procedures of making safe slime highlighted above, and let the children explore their creativity with a safe and durable playing material.