FAMILY FUN
How to Make
Hot Chocolate Slime
Your kids will love
this gooey and
delicious-smelling DIY
BY LINDSAY PONTA
I t’s only January, but it’s been cold long enough
that you might be running out of ways to
keep the kids busy indoors. Fortunately, I
have a solution: hot chocolate slime!
Slime can be tons of fun for a wide range of
ages. For toddlers, it’s a sensory activity. Put it
in a muffin pan with a few tiny toys and your lit-
tle one will have a blast stretching, squeezing
and transferring the goo from one compartment
to another. Or dump it onto a plate and let them
stamp shapes into it and then watch as the
impressions disappear.

Slime also makes a fantastic STEM activity for
older children. It’s chemistry in action! A non-
Newtonian fluid, slime responds like a solid when
squeezed but acts like a liquid when released. If you
want to really dig into the science behind slime
with your kids, ACS.org has a great resource on
its website.

This recipe makes enough hot chocolate slime
for two to four kids, but it can be easily doubled for
a larger group. As the slime sits, the foam beads
will float up to the top slowly, so it looks just like
a mug of hot chocolate with marshmallows! You
can expect to get at least a few weeks of play from
your slime if you store it in an airtight container.

Almost all the supplies for this slime recipe can
be found at your local grocery and craft stores or
online. While it’s safe to play with, please remind
your kids that Borax is a soap and shouldn’t be
consumed. If you’re making a batch with toddlers,
you may want to skip the yummy chocolate fra-
grance oil so they aren’t tempted to eat the slime.

Bonus: Slime makes an adorable gift or party
favor when packaged in nonbreakable container
with a bright bow. T
12 Washington FAMILY JANUARY 2020
SUPPLIES:  White school glue
 Warm water
 Borax  Brown gel food coloring
 White craft foam beads
 Plastic jar or container
 Optional: chocolate fragrance
oil (available online)
INSTRUCTIONS: 1. Use a fork to mix together
½ cup white glue and ½ cup of
water in a bowl.

2. Add enough brown gel food
coloring to achieve the look of
hot chocolate and about 10 drops
of chocolate fragrance oil. Stir
until the color is evenly mixed.

3. Dissolve Borax into ½ cup of
warm water in another bowl.

4. Pour half the Borax solution
over the glue mixture and stir
with the fork. It should start to
stick together and clump up
a bit.

5. Continue adding the Borax
solution a little at a time, stirring
constantly, until it all sticks
together in one big blob.

6. Use your hands to knead the
slime until it’s smooth and no
longer sticky. You may need to
add a bit more Borax solution
to get rid of stickiness. I like to
dip my fingers into the Borax
solution and then knead them
into the slime.

7. Pour some foam balls onto the
finished slime, kneading them in
with your hands.

8. Separate the slime into plastic
jars or another type of airtight
container for storage.

THIS RECIPE CAN BE
ADJUSTED IN SO MANY
WAYS TO CREATE DIFFERENT
SLIME CONCOCTIONS. HERE
ARE A FEW IDEAS
TO STRETCH OUT THE
FUN ALL WINTER LONG:
 Use an extra ¼ teaspoon of
Borax for a more putty-like
consistency.  Use different colors to explore
color mixing.

 Add glitter for some fun
sparkle.  Mix in pom poms or water
beads for different textures.

 Add a generous dollop
of shaving cream for
fluffy slime.

 Use clear glue for a
transparent version.

Please share pictures of
your hot chocolate slime on
social media with the hashtag
#washingtonfamilymag so we
can see your creativity. Happy
crafting, friends! T
Lindsay Ponta created the DIY
and lifestyle website Shrim
p Salad Circus in 2009 to inspire
busy women to live perfectly-
imperfect creative lives. Find
easy DIYs and recipes at
shrimpsaladcircus.com.