“How do I make slime with borax?” Is this you? Maybe you have come here as slime beginner looking to make borax slime or maybe you need to troubleshoot your current borax slime recipe. Well, we have the best classic borax slime recipe around with either white or clear glue. Check out tons of fun ways to make homemade slime. Don’t miss out!
HOW TO MAKE SLIME WITH BORAX
BORAX SLIME
We have been experimenting with our borax slime recipe to double-check the measurements, ingredients, and consistency to make sure we are still enjoying this slime. You know what? We still love it and think you will too!
This borax slime recipe is really quite versatile because it allows you to really fine-tune the thickness of your slime when using white glue. However, when using clear glue we only recommend following the standard recipe.
Watch us make borax slime live in the video below!
HOW DOES BORAX SLIME WORK?
We always like to include a bit of homemade slime science around here! Slime is an excellent chemistry demonstration and kids love it too! Mixtures, substances, polymers, cross-linking, states of matter, elasticity, and viscosity are just a few of the science concepts that can be explored with homemade slime!
What’s slime science all about? The borate ions in the slime activator (sodium borate, borax powder, or boric acid) mix with the PVA (polyvinyl acetate) glue and form this cool stretchy substance. This is called cross-linking!
The glue is a polymer and is made up of long, repeating, and identical strands or molecules. These molecules flow past one another keeping the glue in a liquid state. Until…
You add the borate ions to the mixture, and it then starts to connect these long strands together. They begin to tangle and mix until the substance is less like the liquid you started with and thicker and rubberier like slime! Slime is a polymer.
Picture the difference between wet spaghetti and leftover spaghetti the next day. As the slime forms, the tangled molecule strands are much like the clump of spaghetti!
Is slime a liquid or solid?
We call it a Non-Newtonian fluid because it’s a little bit of both! Experiment with making the slime more or less viscous with varying amounts of foam beads. Can you change the density?
Did you know that making slime aligns with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)?
It does and you can use slime making to explore states of matter and its interactions. Find out more below…
- NGSS Kindergarten
- NGSS First Grade
- NGSS Second Grade
WHY IS MY BORAX SLIME SO THICK?
I have found that clear glue and borax powder produces a thicker slime over using white glue and borax powder. You can test out both and see which one you like better!
Because we love to showcase our seasonal confetti in very clear slime, we like to use the borax powder as a slime activator with clear glue. Check out our clear slime recipe!
The ratio of borax powder to water as mentioned below, is 1/4 tsp of borax powder to 1/2 cup of warm water! Comparing the viscosity of different slime recipes is also a neat science experiment. Check out how to turn slime into a fun slime science project!
HOW LONG DOES BORAX SLIME LAST?
Keep your slime clean and sealed when you are not playing with it! Many of our slime recipes have lasted for months or until we decided to make a new slime.
—-> Deli-style containers are our favorite, but any container with a lid will work, including mason jars in all sizes.
CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR FREE SLIME RECIPE
BORAX SLIME RECIPE
Get your slime ingredients ready, here, I show you how to make slime with borax in these pictures using only clear glue but go ahead and add color and glitter if you wish! Also, you can use white glue instead.
Want to make slime without borax powder, you can absolutely test out one of our other basic recipes using liquid starch or saline solution. For completely borax-free slime, try our edible slime recipes!
SLIME INGREDIENTS
- 1/4 tsp Borax Powder {found in laundry detergent aisle}
- 1/2 cup Clear or White Washable PVA School Glue
- 1 cup of Water divided into 1/2 cups
- Food Coloring, Glitter, Confetti (Optional)
- Grab your FREE Clickable slime Supplies Pack!
PinHOW TO MAKE SLIME WITH BORAX
STEP 1: Dissolve 1/4 teaspoon of borax powder into 1/2 cup of warm water in one of the three bowls. Mix this thoroughly.
BORAX SLIME NOTE: We have recently tinkered with our recipe and found that for a better oozing and more stretchy slime, we prefer 1/4 tsp of borax powder (if using clear glue, always use 1/4 tsp).
If you like a firmer slime and use white glue, we experimented with 1/2 tsp and 1 tsp. 1 tsp makes a much firmer putty-like slime.
PinSTEP 2: In the second bowl, measure out about 1/2 cup of clear glue and mix with 1/2 cup of water until well mixed.
PinSTEP 3: Pour the borax/water mixture into the glue/water mixture and stir it up! You will see it come together right away. It will seem stringy and clumpy, but that’s ok! Remove from bowl.
PinSTEP 4: Spend a few minutes kneading the mixture together. You may have leftover borax solution.
Knead and play with your slime until smooth and stretchy! If you want the slime to look like liquid glass, find out the secret here.
SLIMY TIP: Remember, slime does not like to be pulled quickly as it will surely snap due to its chemical composition (read slime science here). Stretch your slime slowly and you will really see it’s full stretchiest potential!
PinMORE SLIME RECIPES WITH BORAX
CRUNCHY SLIME
Have you heard of crunchy slime and wondered exactly what’s in it? We have been experimenting with our crunchy slime recipes and have a few variations to share with you.
FLOWER SLIME
Make a clear slime with colorful flower confetti added in.
HOMEMADE FIDGET PUTTY
OurDIY putty recipeis super easy and fun to make. It’s all about the slime consistency that makes this type ofslime recipeAMAZING! Let us show you how to keep little fingers busy!
PinBORAX BOUNCY BALLS
Make your own homemade bouncy balls with our easy recipe. A fun variation of our borax slime.
PinPrintable Slime Recipes Ultimate Guide
This is the ULTIMATE collection of slime recipesevery kid wants to make! Explore the best recipes and find the right supplies to make slime time a breeze!
Perfect for kids of all ages, including tweens and teens! Taste-safe recipes are perfect for the youngest slime fans.
What’s Included:
- The Ultimate Slime Guidecontains all the specialty recipes you or your kids want to make! You’ll find all the best tips, tricks, hints, and slime-y info in almost 100 pages!
- The Ultimate Slime Holiday Guidecovers all the best holidays and seasons with special themes and slime-y projects!
- The Ultimate Borax-FREE and Taste-Safe Slime Guideshows you how to make all the best borax-free, taste-safe, and non-toxic slimes kids love, such as marshmallow slime. These recipes do not use chemical activators such as saline solution, liquid starch, or borax powder, making them truly borax-free.
- The Ultimate Slime Coloring Bookis an easy-to-print coloring book kids will love! Color and design your favorite slimes!
- The Slime Starter Guideis a fact-filled information guide with everything you need to know to make the best slime ever!
- Slime Science Project Packhelps you turn slime-making into a science lesson!
