After two long weeks of AP testing, sometimes students just need to relax and play with some slime. As weird as this may sound, slime is both fun and relaxing to play with for people of all ages. Luckily, slime is cheap and easy to make at home! Here is an easy recipe to follow:

Supplies:

• One big tub
• Elmer’s Glue
• Shaving Cream
• Baby Powder
• Borax and water solution (1 teaspoon Borax to 1 cup of water)
• Food Coloring

Procedure:

1. Add equal parts shaving cream and Elmer’s glue to the tub.
2. At this point add in food coloring if you desire. Continue adding drops and stir the mixture until desired color is reached and everything is completely mixed together.
3. Add in a few puffs of baby powder to keep the slime smelling fresh and your hands soft.
4. Last, add Borax solution, 2 teaspoons at a time, while you continue to mix the solution. Stop adding Borax solution when the slime is no longer sticky to the touch.
5. The slime is ready for play! Knead and stretch the slime to make sure everything is integrated, and you are good to go.

Keep the slime stored in a ziplock bag in the fridge. Eventually it will have to be thrown out when it becomes too dry, but it is easy to make more! While making the slime make sure not to add too much borax solution, and though it may be a little gross, try mixing the slime by hand. Though this is a sticky process, it ensures that all the molecules mix together and bond.

For those interested in why the slime works, here is a little science behind the slime:

The glue in the slime acts as a liquid polymer. Its molecules are joined in long chains but aren’t all connected like they are in a solid. This is why glue acts like a liquid but is sticky to the touch. When Borax is added, its molecules, aka sodium tetraborate, bond with the water molecules in the glue. Now when you go to pick up one chain, they are all attached to one another so you pick up the blob. This is known as a hydrogen bonded, cross-linked polymer gel, aka slime.