How to Make Slime

Squishy, stretchy slime — made with a grown-up by your side.

Hands stretching bright green slime over a blue bowl, with a glue bottle and spoon on the table
Tap Listen to hear the words out loud.

Welcome! This page shows you how to make slime. First read the play rules. Then get what you need. Then do the steps, one at a time.

Play Rules First

Read these rules before you start. They keep you safe.

  • Slime is NOT food. Never put it in your mouth.
  • Wash your hands before and after you play.
  • Keep slime away from babies, little kids who put things in their mouths, and pets.
  • Play on a table or a tray, not on carpet or the couch.
  • A grown-up helps with this project.

You Need

Get all of these ready on your table.

  • 1 bottle of white school glue (about 6 ounces — the regular size bottle)
  • ½ tablespoon of baking soda
  • 1 tablespoon of contact lens solution (the kind grown-ups use for contact lenses — your grown-up gets this; the label should say it has boric acid)
  • A bowl and a spoon
  • If you want color: a few drops of food coloring or washable paint
  • If you want sparkle: a little glitter (optional)

Let’s Make It!

Do one step. Then do the next step.

Step 1. Pour all the glue into the bowl.

Step 2. Add the color now if you want color. Stir it in.

Step 3. Sprinkle in the baking soda. Stir until you can’t see it.

Step 4. Add HALF the contact lens solution. Stir slowly. The slime will start to stick together like strings.

Step 5. Add the rest of the solution, a little at a time, and keep stirring until the slime pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

Step 6. Pick it up and squish and stretch it with your hands for 2 minutes. It gets less sticky as you play with it.

🎉 You made slime! Great job!

Fix-It Box

Slime not right yet? Try these fixes.

Too sticky?

Add 2 or 3 more drops of contact lens solution and keep squishing. Add drops slowly — a little goes a long way.

Too stiff and rubbery?

You added a bit too much solution. Squish in a tiny bit more glue.

Stringy and won’t come together?

Keep stirring and squishing. Slime takes a few minutes.

Words to Know

Solution

Something dissolved in water. The contact lens solution is the special liquid that makes the glue turn into slime.

Knead

To squish and fold something over and over with your hands, like bread dough.

Polymer

A big word scientists use for long chains that link together. Glue turning stretchy is the chains linking up. That’s the science part!

For Grown-Up Helpers

Thank you for helping with this project. A few notes for you:

  • An adult should handle and measure the contact lens solution.
  • This recipe deliberately uses saline solution instead of loose Borax powder, so there is no laundry chemical for a child to measure.
  • Slime is not edible. Keep it away from children under 3 and from pets.
  • Wash hands after play.
  • Store slime in a sealed container or zip bag.
  • Throw it away when it gets dirty or smells — do not try to wash it.
  • Washable paint stains less than food coloring, if you want to add color.

Recipe pattern: Understood.org’s sensory-friendly slime recipes. Checked November 2026.