This glow in the dark slime recipe is a fun sensory activity for kids who love slime and enjoy playing with different textures. With just a few ingredients, you can make your own stretchy slime that glows in the dark!
This homemade glow in the dark slime is easy to mix together and is a fun activity for an afternoon at home, a Halloween party, or a glow-themed playdate. Kids can help combine the ingredients, watch the slime form, and then stretch and squish it while being amazed at how it glows in the dark!
Quick Look: Glow in the Dark Slime
- 🧪 Activity Time: 5 minutes to prepare - many hours of fun 🙂
- 🎨 Supplies Needed: Clear school glue, water, borax, and glow powder
- 👀 What Kids Will See: Slime form from water and the activator and then how it glows in the dark once it's exposed to light.
- 🎯 Ages: School aged kids and older
- 👌 Difficulty: Easy
- 💡 What Kids Will Learn: Kids can explore how ingredients combine and react to change the texture of a mixture and observe how glow powder responds to light.
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This homemade slime was such a fun Halloween sensory activity for my preschooler and kindergartener. We added spiders and they apparently had a spider wedding and played with it on and off all day. Their reactions when we went to turn the lights off and play in the dark were also so fun.
Another fun fall sensory activity we love is this pumpkin pie spiced playdough! Create some fun pumpkin suncatchers and toilet paper roll monsters and you have a full day of awesome Halloween activities for kids!
If your kids enjoy homemade slime and sensory play, this is a fun recipe to add to your collection of activities!
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Key Ingredients
- Clear school glue: Regular clear school glue is the base of this slime recipe.
- Warm water: You'll need water for both the glue mixture and the borax solution.
- Borax: Borax helps the glue form a stretchy slime. Have an adult prepare and handle the solution and keep the dry borax away from chidrens eyes and mouths.
- Glow powder: We used this glow in the dark powder in fluorescent green. We also bought the neutral green, which resulted in a clear color in the light.
How To Make Glow in the Dark Slime
- Step 1: In a small bowl, add ¼ teaspoon of borax to ½ cup of warm water. Stir until the borax is dissolved.
- Step 2: In a separate bowl, combine ½ cup of clear school glue with ½ cup of warm water. Add 1 teaspoon of glow powder and stir until everything is evenly combined.
- Step 3: While stirring the glue mixture, slowly pour in the borax solution a little at a time. Continue mixing as the ingredients begin to come together and form slime.
- Step 4: Remove your ball of slime and place it on a clean counter. Knead it with your hands until the excess liquid has been absorbed. If it feels sticky at first, continue kneading for a little longer.
- Step 5: To see the glow-in-the-dark effect, expose the slime to a bright light according to the glow powder manufacturer's directions. Then move it into a dark room and watch it glow!
Hint: If your slime feels too sticky you can make the same borax solution (½ cup of warm water to ¼ teaspoon borax) and just dip your fingers in the solution and work it into the slime until it is no longer sticky. Too much borax solution and your slime will become like rubber and will not stretch.
Tips for Making Glow in the Dark Slime
- Add the borax solution slowly- This helps the polymer chains form to create the slime.
- Give the slime time to come together- Kneading also helps the ingredients combine and polymer chains form during this process to make the texture more consistent.
- Don't be discouraged if it doesn't glow right away- Most glow powders need to "charge" and need exposure to light before they glow brightly in the dark.
Do you know how to clean slime out of clothes?? If you find yourself with some slime attached to your kids clothes, soak it in vinegar for 5-10 minutes and it will break it down the slime making it easier to remove.
Storage
When you're done using the slime, store it in an airtight container (we use a ziplock bag) and it will last for a couple of months.
FAQ
If the slime is stored properly it can last a couple months.
Yes. Most glow-in-the-dark powders need to absorb light before they glow. Follow the directions for your particular powder, since charging time and brightness vary.
I did try this and couldn't get it to work and recommend the glow powder for the best results.
Yes, it is safe for kids as long as it's not ingested. This is not a good activity for a child who still puts things in their mouth. If your child has sensitive skin it is a good idea to wash their hands well after play.
More Science Activities for Kids
If your kids enjoy hands-on activities, try a few more sensory projects we love!
If you made this glow in the dark slime or any other craft on our blog please leave a 🌟 star rating and let us know how it went in the 📝 comments below. We appreciate it and love hearing from you!
Glow in the Dark Slime
Instructions
- In a small bowl, add ¼ teaspoon of borax to ½ cup of warm water. Stir until the borax is dissolved.
- In a separate bowl, combine ½ cup of clear school glue with ½ cup of warm water. Add 1 teaspoon of glow powder and stir until everything is evenly combined.
- While stirring the glue mixture, slowly pour in the borax solution a little at a time. Continue mixing as the ingredients begin to come together and form slime.
- Remove your ball of slime and place it on a clean counter. Knead it with your hands until the excess liquid has been absorbed. If it feels sticky at first, continue kneading for a little longer.
- To see the glow-in-the-dark effect, expose the slime to a bright light according to the glow powder directions. Then move it into a dark room and watch it glow!
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