Make It Yourself: Valentine’s Slime

Valentine’s Day is creeping up on us! It is always fun to try to teach our littles about the different holidays, and crafts and sensory activities are my favorite ways to do that. Indoor busy activities are great while the weather is still dreary. Valentine’s crafts are common for toddlers, but often require a lot of effort behind the scenes. (Plus, I can never get a good footprint for those cute homemade Valentine’s). But never fear, one very easy and popular activity is homemade slime!

When I share crafts and activities to do with your kids, I strive to share the ones that involve the least-effort for the highest-busy-factor. Notwithstanding, there are a couple supplies that you need on hand to make slime. Or if you’re like me, you can buy these things in bulk and have slime in your back pocket for a rainy day! (only figuratively, hopefully 😉 )

Supplies

• Elmer’s School Glue
• Liquid Starch
• Food Coloring
• Water

Furthermore, this activity not only needs just a few supplies, but it is EASY to remember! There are a few steps to the process, but each ingredient requires the exact same amount. When you get your toddler sitting still for a few moments, you can try to talk to them about what they really love!

Instructions

1. Add 1/3 cup of glue into a mixing bowl
2. Add 1/3 cup of water into the bowl of glue
3. Mix until the combination is one consistency
4. Add your food coloring & mix (the white glue washes out colors, so be generous to achieve brighter colors) Add red to make a pink valentine’s themed slime like ours!
5. Add 1/3 cup of liquid starch while stirring

To finish, stir until the mixture starts globbing up. With further play and time it will reach it’s final consistency: SLIME!

My son enjoys grabbing his toy tools, our sensory bin tools, and a few bulldozers and dump trucks to play in the slime. This activity will keep my 2 year old busy for at least a half hour. The slime usually lasts for quite awhile if you leave it covered in a bowl when not in use. I throw it out at the end of the week unless it gets dirty and needs to be tossed sooner.

Additionally, you can add variations by including glitter or embellishments. Using clear glue makes a different consistency but holds color much better. You could also turn this activity into a science lesson if you involve your toddler in the mixing process. Another disclosure: keep this activity over a table and clean-able space. You do not want to deal with slime stuck in carpet or a nice sweater, trust me!

Enjoy your Valentine’s activities with your kids and check out Homemade Hometown for more crafts and toddler activities!