By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post

Children crowded into the Makerspace at the Forysth Library at Fort Hays State University Thursday morning to get icky and sticky.

Slime Time let children try their hands at making three types of slime: clear slime, fluffy slime and oobleck.

Slime is a non-Newtonian fluid. It’s viscosity can be affected by factors other than temperature, according to Brian Rohrig and his article,“The Science of Slime.”

Viscosity is a fluid’s resistance to flow.

In the case of slime, it may almost act like a solid, but it if you add pressure to the slime by squeezing it in your hand, it begins to flow like a liquid.

A polymer is a large chain of molecules made up of smaller units that repeat themselves, which are called monomers. A single polymer molecule may comprise hundreds of thousands of monomers, Rohrig said.

The white or clear school glue in the slime is a polymer. When the liquid starch is added, in this case Borax, it changes the structure of the chain making the polymer thicker.

According to Rohrig, common synthetic polymers are rubber, plastic and nylon. Common natural polymers are starch, DNA and some proteins.

Megan Adams, summer director at the Makerspace, said it is not so important that the children understand the scientific properties of the slime.

“They get to have a hands-on experience with science they may not have the opportunity to have in the summer,” she said.

The exercise also helps the children develop problem-solving skills, she said.

Lima McLoughlin, 8, just thought it was icky fun.

Mariah Werth, 10, of LaCrosse said she loves science, but it is just fun to make slime, which she has done at home.

“It is supper fun to play with,” she said. “It is easy to work with. I have made it with my different cousins. It’s gooey, but it won’t ever stick to you.”

Maysyn Tippy, 11, of Hays, was trying her hand with the fluffy slime for the first time.

“It is fun to create. It is fun to work with and makes a mess. It makes it all gooey,” she said.

Maysyn’s mom was just glad that she and her cousin were making the mess at the Makerspace and not at home.

“They are always making it at home,” she said. “It is always messy, and it is not always successful.”

Recipes

Clear Slime

Ingredients:

Glue Base:

1/4 cup of clear school glue

1/4 cup of water

food coloring

Activator:

1/2 cup of warm water

1/2 tablespoon of Borax

Instructions: In a bowl, mix together Borax and warm water until Borax is completely dissolved. Set aside and let cool.

In a separate bowl, mix the first three ingredients together until combined. Add activator (Borax solution) tablespoon by tablespoon, stirring your slime after each addition until the slime reaches desired consistency. If you are unable to stir your slime, remove it from the bowl and knead it on waxed paper.

Store slime in an airtight bag, Wash hands after use.

Fluffy Slime

Ingredients:

1/4 cup of white school glue

1 cup of shaving cream

food coloring

3 squirts of contact solution

Activator:

1/2 cup of warm water

1/2 tablespoon of Borax

Instructions: In a bowl, mix together Borax and warm water until Borax is completely dissolved. Set aside and let cool.

In a separate bowl, mix the first three ingredients together until combined. Add three squirts of contact solution, mixing after each addition. After this, add activator (Borax solution) tablespoon by tablespoon, stirring your slime after each addition until the slime reaches desired consistency. If you are unable to stir your slime, remove it from the bowl and knead it on waxed paper.

Store slime in an airtight bag, Wash hands after use.

Oobleck

Ingredients

1/2 cup of cornstarch

1/4 cup of water

Food coloring

Instructions: In a bowl, measure out 1/2 cup of cornstarch. In separate container, combine food coloring and water, mixing well. Add water to the cornstarch tablespoon by tablespoon, stirring after every addition. Continue to add water until the mixture can be grabbed and formed into a ball, but is still runny.

If the mixture is too runny, add in cornstarch a tablespoon at a time. If the mixture is too thick, add in water a tablespoon at a time.

Store in an airtight bag. This mixture will eventually dry out but can be easily rehydrated by adding water.