Need some super fun and unique slime projects for your kids? Try making slime out of chalk with this crazy recipe! Here’s how to make chalkboard slime that will keep your kids occupied for hours.
Create a Piece of Chalk Slime
You can start your adventure into chalk slime by making it a pseudo-blackboard. First, talk to your kids about the science behind the slime. The borate ions in slime activators, such as borax, mix with the polyvinyl-acetate in glue to form the stretchy and sticky substance you end up with. The entire process is called cross-linking.
Glue is a polymer that has long, identical strands of molecules. When you add the borate ions to the glue, it causes the long strands to tangle together until the glue isn’t a liquid or a solid — it’s slime.
What You Need
To make chalkboard slime for kids, you need:
- Glue
- Liquid starch
- Chalkboard paint
- Chalk markers
- Bowl
- Stirring spoon
How to Make It
1. Start by pouring your desired amount of glue into your bowl. Using more glue means you’ll end up with more slime.
2. Add in as much chalkboard paint as you want and stir it and the glue together with the stirring stick.
3. Use liquid starch as your activator and pour a little bit in at a time, stirring as you go. Continue to add liquid starch until the mixture feels slimy.
4. Knead the slime in the bowl with your hands.
5. Take the slime out of the bowl and use your hands or a rolling pin to lay it flat on the table.
6. Grab your chalk markers and write on the chalkboard slime. Get creative and make as many funny faces as you can!
Now Create a Piece of Chalk
You have the chalkboard, so now you just need a piece of chalk. Lucky for you, you can also make slime into a piece of chalk that you can use to draw on a piece of paper or even a real chalkboard.
What You Need:
- Piece of chalk
- Glue
- Borax
- Stirring spoon
- Bowl
- Paper
How to Make It
1. Pour as much glue as you want into a bowl.
2. Take your piece of chalk and use a cheese grater to grate it over the bowl.
3. Mix the grated chalk and the glue with a stirring spoon. The mixture may be a little chunky.
4. Add an activator, such as borax, a little bit at a time. Continue to mix each time you add more of the activator to the mixture.
5. Once the slime has a sticky consistency, knead it with your hands inside the bowl.
6. Grab a white piece of paper and start drawing on it or writing messages with your piece of slime chalk!
Make Science Fun
At Science Explorers, our goal is to make science fun and accessible to kids everywhere. You can help by talking to your kids about the science behind slime. You never know when one simple batch of chalkboard slime could create a lifelong love of science. Sign your kids up for our summer science camps and after-school science programs to get them even more involved in hands-on experiments full of fun and learning. Contact us today to learn more.