|
 Don’t let the fun and learning stop after you leave; take it home with you! Take some tips from our education team and try these fun activities on your own.
Boonshoft Slime
Materials: 1 cup of white glue, 5 cups of water, ¼ cup of Borax (found in your grocery’s laundry detergent aisle), 1 plastic cup, 2 jars with lids, a stirring stick, a plastic baggie, measuring cups, and food coloring.
Mix Borax Solution
1. Mix 3 cups of water and ¼ cup of Borax together in one of the jars. Make sure the Borax is dissolved completely.
2. Note the state of matter (solid, liquid, or gas)
Mix Glue Solution
1. Mix 1 cup of white glue with 1 cup of water
2. Note the state of matter
Make Slime
1. Vigorously shake both solutions.
2. Mix equal amounts of the two solutions together with the stirring stick.
3. Remove slime from the stick and discard any extra liquid. Do not place slime on paper of cloth surface – it will stick
What’s the Point?
First – note the state of matter. Is the slime liquid? Liquids are fluid, so they take the shape of the container they are in and they pour. Is the slime solid? Solids keep their shape. Try quickly pulling the slime apart, squeezing into a ball, or letting it sit undisturbed. You might find that slime has properties of both a liquid and a solid, depending upon how it is handled; that’s why slime is called non-Newtonian. Slime doesn’t follow the laws of solids, liquids, and gases.
Scientists have done a lot of research about non-Newtonian matter. What do you think? How could the properties of slime be useful? Should slime and other materials like it be given their own state of matter? Can you discover other recipes that will yield non-Newtonian matter?
Fun with Slime
Form your slime into a ball and watch it bounce. How many bounces before it splats? Wrap the slime around a straw and blow giant slime bubbles. Find a partner and slowly stretch the slime; how far can you stretch it before it breaks? Store your slime in a tightly sealed plastic bag for later use. It will last for several days or longer in the refrigerator. If it starts to smell bad – throw it out and make some more! (slime is non-toxic, but don’t eat it.)
Browse our Archive of Activities
Browse our archive of articles full of fun and educational activities designed by our experts at the Boonshoft Museum. These articles were previously published in the Boonshoft Museum’s column on 937moms.com.
- Advice for the parents of budding astronomers
- Bring out the Archaeologist in your child!
- Explore Native American culture through music and art
- Food facts and fun with kid-friendly treats that prove that, "you are what you eat!"
- Slither in for an inside look into the world of snakes!
- The truth about the Blue Moon.
- Look into the world of bats!
- Peek inside springtime bird-nests “Re-invented” as your child’s treasure!
- Explore the buzzing world
|
